


Persistence of Vision

by beatricethecat



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, New York, Post Season 4, Post-Season/Series 04, Post-Season/Series 04 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-16 20:18:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 60,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3501509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatricethecat/pseuds/beatricethecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First time fic - had to try to fix it! Begins in a vague post season 4 world.  Myka's cancer is in remission and she decides its time to confront an in absentia Helena. Once found, Myka convinces Helena to open up, revealing an elaborate backstory detailing her life after the bronze, mostly after Sykes, happening during seasons 2-4. After everything is out in the open, they move forward but not without complications. It’s quite a ride, and I hope you will follow along as it all unfolds. I suppose this is my season 5 as opposed to the real one. Lots of angst but also some fun too!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. *one*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * First off I wanted to say I’ve read a lot of fan fic here, and so much of well written and eloquent and inspiring. The cavalcade of thoughts and ideas represented have definitely stuck with me, and I hope this story reads more as a homage to those than anything else. If anyone feels I am in error and have stolen something let me know. (After writing this I kind of feel like there is a list of things to cover in a fix-it. I haven’t fixed them all in here but might in the future as some add on fics. Also I like to completing lists, even if they are in my head.) Head to the bottom if you want to read the rest of my notes first as there’s more but I don’t want take up tons of space here at the top.
> 
>  
> 
> \----------------------

As Myka's eyes slowly glaze over, her mouth falls slack, parting ever so slightly. Wearing a vacant stare, her body slumps even further into a too-short-for-her office chair. Her mind has been completely and utterly blank for…..she’s not actually sure for how long. Having nothing more important to attend to at the moment, she decides to catalog this feeling.

“Waiting for Pete to finish his second burrito” is not quite right, but "stuck as a passenger in the car for 10 hours because you hurt your hand and Pete won't let you near the steering wheel” isn’t it either. And she is loathed to admit it but it is not "inventory saturation”, the moment when she hits a wall and can't fathom checking the status of One. More. Artifact. No, this sensation is clearly related to seventh-grade study hall. A soaked to the bone kind of boredom that Myka had forgotten even existed.

An eternity of desk duty, coupled with a smattering of inventory, is incrementally taking its toll on Myka’s soul. The contiguous circle she has worn between the Warehouse and the B&B is beyond exhausting. She desperately needs to be let out of this loop, the occasional foray into Univille notwithstanding. Her cancer has been in remission for months, and she is chomping at the bit to put the whole experience behind her, to finally get back out into the field. But Artie won't budge until Dr. Calder gives him a definitive all clear sign, and her next checkup isn’t for another month.

The ordeal she's endured was no joke. She can and does admit to herself that her time off duty has been absolutely necessary to heal. And she is improving in leaps and bounds. Her curls are returning voluminously, and her green eyes sparkle with life, she carries a new cognizance of being. Movements once taken for granted are now a revelation, body and mind in sync. She feels ready to navigate any of the challenges life might put in front of her. _So. Ready._

As she sits in the Warehouse office, waiting for something to happen, an intense feeling of irritation washes over her. The comfort she used to take in helping from home base has waned, leaving her feeling grounded, like her wings have been clipped.

Everyone is out on a ping, Claudia with Steve, Artie with Pete. She waits patiently to hear from someone….. _anyone_.....to break up the monotony.

As she taps a pencil on her cheek, contemplating the complexities of the post-its on Artie’s desk, she hears a voice.

"Ms. Bering."

Myka jumps in her seat, drops her pencil, and spins around in the chair.

"Mrs. Fredric? Is everything alright?”

Mrs. Fredric stands stiffly near the entrance to Artie’s office.

"Everything is fine, Myka,” she says in her usual deadpan tone.

"I, uh, didn't think you were making house calls anymore now that Claudia is doing more and more Caretaker stuff."

Myka starts to get up, but Mrs. Fredric signals for her to stay put.

"Let's just say this is perhaps of a more _personal_ nature."

Mrs. Fredric nods her head to the side when she says “personal” and gives the most minuscule of smiles.

"Okey, Dokey. What can I do for you Mrs. F?"

Right now, Myka would honestly do just about anything the woman said even if it meant mopping the entire Warehouse.

"I've heard you have been feeling somewhat restless as of late. You must be recuperating well then?”

"You did? I mean, you heard that about me?” Myka looks down, a little ashamed. "Uh, sorry....I don't mean to seem ungrateful for everything everyone's done for me, but...um...yeah...if I am honest that is true. I _am_ feeling a bit cooped up. And I'm feeling much better, thanks.”

Myka’s posture perks up.

"No need to apologize, Myka, I completely understand. In fact, I’d like to help.”

Mrs. Fredric’s brows knit slightly to indicate her eagerness to help.

Myka’s mouth parts. She is intrigued.

"Would traveling to New York be of interest to you?” Mrs. Fredric questions.

"Seriously? Yes! Of course. I don't care what it's for.”

Myka blurts this out with such exuberance that she almost falls off of her seat.

Mrs. Fredric smiles modestly after hearing Myka's enthusiasm.

“This would be a solo trip Myka, but you would be able to bring someone to accompany you if you wished."

Myka can't believe her ears. A trip, to a major city, alone? How long has it been? Too long. Way too long, she thinks. She’s felt so isolated lately that she's almost forgotten the rest of the world exists. And while she loves her Warehouse family dearly, she desperately needs to interact with other humans, to be given time to herself for herself in order to further heal.

"I'm good flying solo Mrs. F! My health is good too, its just that Artie is being super stubborn and won't let me go out into the field and I can't convince him otherwise until Dr. Calder visits next month. Is this an assignment?”

Myka squeezes all her thoughts nearly into one sentence.

"That’s good to hear Myka. And no, it's not an official assignment. Let's call it a sort of.... mandatory vacation.”

Mrs. Fredric says, “mandatory vacation” with an upbeat tone.

"Ok. Sure. But why New York specifically?”

Myka is now _very_ curious. She scoots further to the edge of her seat and twists an errant curl around a finger, a habit left over from when her hair was longer.

"There is a book conference I thought might be of interest to you. All the arrangements have been made in terms of tickets and accommodation. You will have unrestricted access to all of the events.”

Mrs. Fredric crosses her hands in front of her as she continues stalwartly standing by the door.

Myka is stunned by all of this.

"Wow, really. Like really for real? That sounds amazing! But, why?” Myka inquires.

There must be a reason, she thinks, other than the obvious. There always is.

"I think you know why," Mrs. Fredric says cryptically.

And she does, she really really does. Because she's going stir crazy being stuck at the Warehouse. And needs some space, some time, some thing, _anything_ , to help her remember who she is even is anymore. 

"That’s fair. Ok. When do I leave?"

"Thursday"

"That soon?"

"Yes"

Suddenly a pair of neurons connect in Myka's brain, and she quickly stands up from her chair. She hurries to spit out a question the very moment Mrs. Fredric nearly disappears.

"Will _she_ be there?”

Myka sounds both optimistic and apprehensive at the same time if possible.

Mrs. Fredric responds by raising an eyebrow.

\------------------------

The next day, the gang arrives back from snagging and bagging. At dinner, Myka explains that Mrs. Fredric stopped by, and now she is leaving tomorrow for New York.

"You shouldn't go alone,” Artie barks. "Take Pete with you, or— or Abigail.”

He points a finger at Abigail.

Abigail’s brows lift at the thought.

"Artie, no!" Myka blurts out a bit too emphatically, standing up from her seat, slapping her palms on the tabletop.

It takes a few seconds for her to calm herself before she sits back down.

"No, I mean, I'm sorry but no. I mean I love you all and thank you so, so very much for all the support you have given me over the past few months but….” She scans the table as she talks.

Abigail finishes her sentence "....but you need a little time to yourself? Gee, I, for one, would have never guessed."

"I still don’t think it's a good idea. What if something happens...." Artie grumbles. His brows meet.

"If a tree falls in the forest….Artie, I mean really! It's New York not the middle of the desert," Claudia interjects while throwing Artie a stern look.

"Myka needs this Artie. Let her have it.” Abigail says, glaring at Artie while crosses his arms.

"Yeah, I'm with Abigail, Mr. Debbie Downer. I'm sure Myka needs a breather," says Claudia.

Claudia, sitting next to Myka, puts a hand on Myka’s shoulder.

"And I mean there’s, like, public transportation and everything, and cabs, so she wouldn't even be driving. Plus the wholesome goodness of way too many books! Steve thinks it's a good idea, too.”

She takes her hand off of Myka’s shoulder and points it at Steve.

Everyone looks at Steve. He just shrugs his shoulders and nods slightly.

Pete thus far has been conspicuously quiet. Myka looks in his direction.

"Pete? What do you think?" Myka says apprehensively.

Pete seems to be thinking more than usual, weighing the pros and cons. When he finally speaks up, there is an out of the ordinary seriousness in his voice.

He narrows his eyes and says, "Well Mykes if you want to do it then I think you should do it. But you will need to check in every hour to give us a status update. Plus make sure you hit all of the restaurants on this list I am about to make for you.....”

Pete's tone lightens, and he turns to grab a pen and paper from the desk behind him.

Myka turns to Artie. "Artie?"

“Fine, fine, fine."

Artie waves his hands in the air.

"But only if you do as Pete says and check in every hour.”

He promptly rises and exits the room.

Everyone at the table watches as he walks off.

Once out of earshot, Claudia and Pete simultaneously lean in towards Myka and ask, "Is _she_ going to be there?"

\----------------------------------

Pete drops Myka off at the airport and makes her promise a million times over to check in as much as possible. He gives her a big bear hug then throws her a very obvious wink and wishes her luck. She hits him on the arm.

The plane ride to JFK and the cab trip to her hotel are both uneventful. Once she's checked in, she settles into her room and calls Pete to let him know everything is ok. Tired and hungry, she orders in instead of heading out for the evening. As she waits for her food, she double checks the schedule of events for tomorrow and writes down an itinerary. She falls asleep shortly after dinner.

Upon waking, she reflexively checks her phone for the time. It reads 6:30AM. There is already a "just checking in" text from Pete, which is odd at this early hour. She thinks he must have sent it when he got up to pee.

She sighs.

Now that she’s up she decides she might as well start her day.

The contents of her luggage contain many pants options and one skirt. She decides she will wear the skirt today. Having never been to a book conference before, she’s not sure how to dress. “Bookish,” she thinks and chuckles to herself. She supposes it might be nice to wear something outside of her ordinary rotation, plus it can’t hurt to look nice as she doesn't know where this day might lead.

While eating a light breakfast at the hotel, she decides she’ll forgo a cab and walk to the book conference. The map on her phone says it will take about thirty minutes but she’s in no hurry, and the weather looks lovely outside.

Not wanting to be late, she leaves twenty minutes early. Thinking only of her destination, she walks determinedly at first, with a steady gait. Her pace slows as the city elbows its way into her consciousness, until she stops entirely for a minute to gather herself together. The sheer mass of buildings, people, cars, dogs, bikes, garbage, grime, potholes, dirt and noise folds in upon her. This chaos is familiar, not unlike DC, but it has not been a part of her day-to-day reality for what seems like an eternity.

“Pull yourself together, Bering,” she thinks, “you got this."

She reaches the conference and tries to check in. The booths are poorly organized, and the exchange takes longer than expected.

"Good thing I got here early," she thinks.

Her VIP privileges allow her permission to participate in any and all events. Map in hand, she heads off to find the first activity of the day on her schedule.

She cycles through a few seminars that piqued her interest from their abstracts, but nothing is particularly stimulating. She breaks for lunch but doesn’t eat much. Next on her list is a talk about the influence of 19th-century literature on modern sci-fi dystopias. Once it starts, she decides she should have chosen a less close to the bone subject. She finds herself mentally correcting information left and right as too much of the content presented conflicts with Helena’s stories of the time.

"Helena,” Myka sighs.

The next thing on her agenda is attending a reading and book signing by Helena. Just the thought causes butterflies to rise in her stomach, strong enough for her to question the idea of going at all. When Mrs. Fredric confirmed Helena would indeed be at the conference, Myka, without much thought, asked if she would be able to see her. Mrs. Frederic said if that is what she wanted, arrangements could be made.

The talk comes to an end, and she realizes she stopped listening halfway through. Helena’s reading is starting in a few minutes across the hall. Taking a moment to compose herself, she decides she will definitely attend, but doesn't want to enter too early and stand out, or too late and attract attention. She slips in the door right before the reading begins and sits in the back. The room is packed so she doubts Helena would have noticed her entrance.

Helena, of course, reads as beautifully as she speaks. Words and phrases are articulated like liquid flowing through the lilt of her British accent. The room is utterly captivated. Helena is certainly in her element, Myka muses. Reading aloud must feel like second nature to her, as in her time it would have been a commonplace form of entertainment, one of which Myka is _sure_ Helena excelled.

The event lasts forty-five minutes, but Myka feels it comes to an end way too soon. Helena exits to much applause. A woman then announces those with VIP passes should go to room 201A if they want an autographed copy of Helena’s book.

Myka takes a minute to pull together her courage. Should she do this? She should do this. If she's honest with herself, _this_ is what she came here to do, to at least try to talk to Helena. Myka knows a book signing isn't really the best way to gain closure, but it will have to do. She heads over to room 201A.

She joins a growing queue of about twenty or so people that trail out of the room. If she cranes her neck to the side, she can see the event is situated in some sort of lecture hall. The door they are entering is near the front of the room. Everyone files into the side of a table where Helena must be sitting.

Once the line has starts moving Myka feels as if she’s trapped on a boat that just set sail from shore. As the distance between them lessens, Myka can see Helena, but Helena doesn’t notice Myka. Helena is a sandbar, Myka thinks, the iceberg that she should steer clear of but clearly its too late now. She is going to run into it no matter what. Hopefully, the boat won’t sink.

Myka moves to the side ever so slightly so she can watch Helena in action. She sees her take a copy of her book off of a stack, and then opens it on the table in front of her. Without looking up, she asks the next person in line who she should to make the book out to. She keeps her head down while writing, probably to avoid idle conversation, Myka thinks. She glances briefly at each person as they leave, flashing them a generic smile. She then mechanically reaches for a fresh copy of the book, asks the same question over again to the next person, and begins to write.

Myka's focus then turns solely to Helena. She looks as handsomely exquisite as ever, hair shining, outfit flawless, but her body language reads as tired, overextended, too many obligations. She is clearly not enjoying the attention but is doing her best to be civil. Occasionally she bickers with a younger woman standing beside her, whom Myka assumes must be some sort of aide. Myka laughs to herself as she knows this ruse well. Helena is trying to wriggle out of some obligation she must be scheduled to attend later. If she’s too grumpy, she’ll be excused.

All too soon Myka is next in line.

Helena takes another copy of her book off the stack on the table. A quick side glance gathers enough information to guess that the person standing next to the table is a woman. She puts pen to paper.

Without looking up she says, "To whom am I dedicating this to Ms...."

"Bering. Myka…...Bering.”

Her heart is pounding out of her chest, but Myka blurts out her name without skipping a beat. She stands motionless, waiting for Helena's next move.

Helena stills and stares at the blank page in front of her. She tightens the grip on her pen. Myka can barely make out the form of a slow smile creeping over Helena's face. Suddenly words rapidly begin to appear on the page. 

"Ms. Bering,” Helena says almost seductively. "Myka…….Bering.” 

Myka cocks her head and squints a little, following Helena's pen as it frantically puts words to paper.

Myka opens her mouth to speak, but upon hearing Myka’s intake of breath Helena raises a hand to silence her without looking up. 

After a flourishy signature is completed, Helena puts down her pen and closes the book. She gently runs the tips of her fingers over the cover, then turns to hand it to an increasingly expectant Myka.

"I hope you will seriously consider heeding the words I’ve written for you....."

Their eyes meet for a moment, and Helena stops speaking. Helena struggles to keep the small yet genuine smile on her face as she is met with the stark changes apparent in the woman standing in front of her. Myka knew her appearance would be jarring, as her hair is shorter than ever, and she is thinner, frailer than Helena would remember. Myka reaches for the book, but Helena doesn't release her grip immediately, lengthening the moment as their hands touch briefly.

Myka now sees that Helena _is_ tired. Her eyes are lackluster, and her skin is paler than usual. While well put together, she looks as if she could use a long vacation. She can tell Helena is trying to keep her composure but is failing, as this is their first meeting since the travesty in Boone. Without exchanging a word, Myka knows that Helena understands something important has changed, that _this_ Myka in front of her is fundamentally different than the Myka she knew before. Myka wonders what Helena must be thinking.

The sound of a throat clearing breaks the moment, and suddenly Myka is aware there are other people in the room. The rest of the line is patiently waiting for their chance to meet with Helena, or as they know her, the author Emily Lake.

An almost inaudible “thank you” falls out of Myka’s mouth as she bows her head to break eye contact. She pulls the book to her chest and tries her best to walk casually away. As she crosses the room, she can hear the next person gushing over Emily, telling her how much she loves her book, etc., etc.

Myka doesn’t know that Helena's attention stays firmly placed upon her as she departs. Rachel, Helena’s assistant, places a hand on Helena's shoulder to break her trance. Helena looks up towards Rachel, who gives her a "what the hell was that” look while using her eyes to gesture towards the fan who is still effusively babbling about Emily's book. Helena closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, nods, and turns to address the fan.

Without once looking back, Myka exits the room. She's afraid she'll collapse if she does. Her heart is racing. She keeps walking, through the hall, down some stairs, into the main lobby. The commotion there causes her to stop. People dash to and fro, tourists cart luggage, suited men talk in groups, conference guests scrutinize brochure timetables. She not entirely sure where she is anymore. She spies a cushioned chair next to a decorative table in a corner and decides to sit. 

She takes a minute to replay the events that just transpired. What actually happened definitely was not what she thought was going to happen though she’s not sure anymore what she thought was going to happen. She silently curses Mrs. Fredric for setting her up like this. Before her rise to celebrity Helena often seemed unapproachable, but now…..now she lives in a different league altogether. She then curses herself for imaging Helena would care about someone as ordinary as her. Especially now, in her present recuperative state, looking like this.

Reaching up to block a potential tear she realizes how tightly she's been holding onto Helena’s book. She decides she should wait to read what Helena wrote, but wait until when? The hotel room? The B&B? She's absolutely terrified of what it might say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Second, I never imagined myself writing something like this, or writing fiction at all - its been really great to try this and be pushed out of my comfort zone. I’ve been pretty obsessed with building this story over the last two or so months, and I think it just needs to be get put out there, otherwise I could tweak into eternity. I know there are errors but committed to going back and streamlining as this builds - I’m working on it! 
> 
> * Third, as for ratings/warnings, there will be some violence and sexy times
> 
> * Lastly, I want to thank apparitionism and lazyroughdrafts for their help thinking about how you do this writing thing and add randolhllee because they + all of the above have helped me think through B&W's character quirks so so much. But in general thank you all who have shared your ideas with everyone! - Oh and also I’m posting this on Tumblr where I might post some other B&W content (I have other lists I’ve been tasked to make that make more sense over there.) My B&W Tumblr is beatricethecat2.
> 
> SO in conclusion I hope you enjoy reading this and throw any criticism/comments you might have at me!


	2. *two*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herein starts a spiral that will last a few chapters. Things are going to get rather verbally slippery between these two. Consider yourself warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because so many of you all have been kind enough to read this thus far and even comment on it, I’ve felt the need flesh out this story even more than before. (thank you!) I want to make it not just OK, but good. No, better than good, much better than good (I'm not sure if I'm at "great" yet, but one can only hope....eventually). So chapter updates might take a little longer to get up than I originally planned. Rest assured it is all planned out, it just lacks clarity as of yet. Sorry for all the cliffhangers but things just naturally came out that way. So, actually I’m not sorry.
> 
> Also, there’s some shifting of point of view in here, I’d be pleased as punch if anyone can point out anything that doesn’t make sense or is too jarring as its only going to get more crazy from here on in. I’ve been trying to sort it out properly and want to continue to so as this story progresses.
> 
> \----------------------

Myka decides there is no point in waiting, so she opens the book containing Helena’s note right there in the conference hotel lobby. She runs her hand over the impeccably handwritten lines then begins to read.

_Darling Myka,_

_I am pleased beyond words that you have sought me out on this day. Forgive my awkwardness in this moment, as I'm afraid if I were to gaze upon your beautiful green eyes my hands would tremble ever so violently. I’d certainly lose the ability to write at all. I am deeply sorry for the lengthy furlough since our last contact. The expanse of this page is not nearly enough to express all that needs to be said. Therefore, I beg of you, make me the happiest woman in the world by meeting me tonight at the address I’ve written below._

_You forever hold my heart,_

_Helena_

Myka stares at the words on the page until they start to bleed into one another. Her breathing becomes deeper, faster. She places a hand over her mouth in contemplative disbelief, then focuses her eyes and begins to read the text over again, then again, slower this time. 

“Pleased…."  
“Beautiful..."  
“Happiest..."

She doesn't believe Helena could be talking about her, not her in her present state. Helena hadn't looked up yet…..she wasn’t aware of how much she's changed. Then again, Helena was always effusive. It's just her way.

Taking a deep breath, Myka closes her eyes. As per Abigail's advice relayed during countless therapy sessions, she purposefully tries to shake off negative thoughts. She reminds herself that she is ok now, strong, and getting stronger every day. Plus this is what she wants, right? To speak with Helena, alone. She finds it hard to believe that might actually happen.

She scans the address Helena wrote in the book and notices its located on a named not numbered street. She plugs the address into her phone, and it tells her it's a bar downtown. Not near her hotel at all, but not that far away either.

The instructions say, “meet at 10PM.” "Ok then, 10PM it is,” she thinks to herself.

A glance at the time tells her it’s now only 4PM. 

4PM. 4…P….M.....her brain begins to lift from its fog.

Wasn’t there was something at four, something she wanted to do?

She lets out an inaudible laugh and thinks, "Really, Myka, come on. You actually thought you'd be able to do something productive after seeing Helena? Even if she hadn't given you this, for once, rather a non-cryptic message?"

A crooked half-smile grows on her face.

She rises from the chair, book still clutched tightly in hand, and she heads back to her hotel.

\---------------------------

Immediately upon arrival to her room, Myka plops down on the bed, mentally and physically exhausted from the day, even though it seems to have only begun. She flips the shoes off of her feet, and curls her still fully clothed body around an overstuffed decorative pillow.

Her mind races through the day’s events but her thoughts are scattered. She keeps coming back to Helena’s words.

"The expanse of this page is not nearly enough to express all that needs to be said."

What _exactly_ needs to be said? Could it be what she thinks she wants to hear?

Myka shakes off that thought. It will do her no good to get her hopes up, especially after what happened in Boone. 

She grabs her phone off the night stand, sets the alarm, and attempts to calm her brain down enough for a quick nap.

\--------------------------------

A ringing noise startles Myka. Miraculously, she was able to sleep. Her body is still used to slowing down at random times during the day to ensure she has the energy to function. The impulse has lessened over time, but the need is still there. And although she doesn't want to admit it to herself, she is worn out from the long journey from Univille to New York.

8PM. 

There’s a text from Pete, “How’s it hanging, ladie?,” to which she responds “Just took a nap. I’m fine! Thanks.” She sets the phone down.

She contemplates a shower but realizes there isn't enough time to do that and get ready _and_ eat dinner before her meeting with Helena. The bar is maybe fifteen minutes away by cab if she can find one, but she knows Friday night traffic can be a bear. 

She mulls over what to wear. As this trip is short, four days total, her wardrobe is sparse. Overall her outfits are dressier than normal but nothing out of the ordinary, and she already wore her one skirt earlier today. She mentally kicks herself for not going shopping for something new this afternoon. What if this place is super fancy? She should have looked into that. She wonders if everywhere Helena goes these days is on the level of a celebrity. Does she have to hide from fans? Does she stay in a five-star hotel and take limos everywhere?….wait no, she probably has a driver.

In order to stop psyching herself out of meeting Helena at all, she dumps the contents of her suitcase onto the bed. She then pulls out all of the items hanging in the closet. There are some dressier than normal pants and a button down blouse that when paired with the appropriate shoes could be an option. But then again maybe that’s trying too hard. 

She breathes in deeply then audibly releases it.

_Stay cool Myka_ , she tells herself.

This bar is ‘downtown', so it's not like its the Waldorf or anything.

Plus it's just Helena. It's not like a date or something. 

Ok, Myka think, what was Helena wearing earlier? Pants? Definitely pants. Probably designer and expensive, but pants, not a skirt. With a button down shirt. Plus a vest. Very normal Helena clothes, actually. 

It's probably a good idea to dress comfortably, she finally decides. She puts on some dressy jeans and a button down top. After fixing her hair as much as she can in the mirror, she pulls on her boots and slips into her jacket. Grabbing her bag, she heads out into the night. 

\------------------

Myka downs a quick meal at a take out place near her hotel. She snags a cab fairly quickly and arrives at the bar ten minutes early.

Feeling nervous, she gives herself a once over before heading inside.

The bar is busy but not packed, as its still early for a Friday night in Manhattan. The decor is upscale but not overly, and its small but not intimate. She takes in the room and notices its patrons are mostly good looking men and women in their twenties and thirties. None of them are Helena. 

She finds an empty stool near the end of the bar and motions to the bartender that she’d like to order a drink. While she waits, the realization hits her of just how long its been since she’s done something like this on her own, partially due to her illness, but also because of her job. It's somewhat cathartic to feel like a regular person in a place full of regular people, and be somewhere that’s not South Dakota. No snagging and bagging, just sitting, enjoying the distant company of strangers.

Ten o’clock arrives and no sign yet of Helena. She nurses her drink while trying to not constantly eye the door.

10:10……..10:15…….was Helena always this late? She can’t remember …….10:20. "It _is_ Friday night," Myka thinks, "maybe she’s having trouble finding a cab or something."

Lost in thought while staring into her glass, Myka jumps when a nondescript but attractive guy ordering drinks attempts to start a conversation with her.

"Waiting for someone?” He asks coyly.

Myka is annoyed at being interrupted from her brooding.

“Um, yeah,” she says brusquely.

She’d like to stop this conversation before it starts.

The man continues, oblivious to Myka’s tone.

“I've noticed you keep looking toward the door."

"Have you been watching me?” Myka asks, agitated.

Her eyes narrow.

“Well, I have been standing here for, like, 10 minutes waiting for my drinks. Though I did notice you when you came in and thought to myself it was a shame a woman as beautiful as yourself was sitting all alone.”

At this admission, he seems pleased with himself.

Myka rolls her eyes.

"I see.”

And she does. She’s going to have to play his game to get him to leave her alone.

The man accepts his change from the bartender, leaves a tip, and grabs the drinks in front of him.

Turning towards Myka he says, “Listen, uh, if this guy ends up not showing, you should come over and hang out with me and my friends….,” and motions with his head towards a bunch of guys sitting at a nearby table.

His friends wave in their direction.

“That won’t be necessary,” a husky accented voice says from behind him.

He turns to face to the voice. His face lights up.

“Hi.” He says to Helena. “Wow, you’re hot, too."

“True.” Helena purrs.

She looks at the man, then at Myka.

Myka shrugs and gives her best “I don’t know” expression. 

“Right.” Helena continues with an air of authority. "Now, I need to you to vacate immediately so that I may speak with my companion.”

She majestically waves him away.

The man is still oblivious.

“Uh, ok. But if you two want some company…."

“As I stated previously, that won’t be necessary. Were you not listening?" Helena scolds.

The man gives Helena a scowl, then turns to smile at Myka, and walks away. 

Without a second thought, Helena moves forward to address Myka.

“Darling!”

She leans in and gives Myka a peck on the cheek, her hand coming up to lightly cradle Myka’s jaw in the process. Her fingers linger there for a moment before her hand drops, and she turns to remove her jacket. She places it, and herself, on a vacant stool next to Myka.

“I apologize if my tardiness caused the attentions of that imbecile to be thrust upon you. I only hope I arrived in time to ward him off indefinitely.”

She casts a side glance in the man’s direction.

Myka shrugs again.

Helena continues. "I was delayed while exiting this ridiculous press conference. I had no interest in being there but was literally threatened into attending. I escaped as soon as possible.”

Helena sounds genuinely apologetic.

Myka watches as Helena settles in on the bar stool next to her. She can’t believe that Helena is _actually_ sitting next to her and they will be able to have an _actual_ conversation, sans Warehouse. She fights the temptation just to stare at Helena by quickly finding something to say. “Uh…..what was it for, the press conference?” 

“It was the official announcement of my next book. Silly really….I mean why did _I_ personally have to be there? Everyone knows _I_ will be the writer, and that there _will_ be another book,” Helena says with a huff. 

“Helena…” Myka smirks and drops her head, shaking it in disbelief.

Helena’s bravado is the same as ever, she thinks.

When Myka looks up, Helena's self-assured mask has completely dropped. Her face is soft, and her eyes lie directly on Myka.

They hold each others gaze, and for a split second Myka feels as if they just last week went to for dinner and a chat. This thought causes Myka’s lips to form slowly into a tiny crooked half smile.

Helena suddenly looks away.

“I believe I need a drink.”

Helena motions for the bartender.

\----------------------------

They talk casually about Helena’s upcoming book, her experiences thus far as a best-selling author and the upcoming film adaptation of her previous book.

“These motion picture people,” Helena offers, “are a complete pain in my arse. Too many cooks in the kitchen, if you ask me. And all of them men.”

She glances towards the table where the man hitting on Myka earlier is sitting.

He waves.

Her face remains cold.

She turns back to Myka.

"I may just sack the lot of them and produce it on my own."

There is a pause as Helena waits for Myka to ask her the next question, as there is a rhythm to the conversation thus far this evening. Myka asks Helena answers. Helena suddenly feels ashamed that she has been talking about herself for the last half an hour and has yet to learn anything at all about why Myka is here.

At this point, an uncomfortable silence settles in as both women inspect the dregs of their cocktails. They are hyper-aware that this is the point in the evening where a decision needs to be made about what happens next.

“Myka….” Helena looks up and address Myka directly.

”Tell me about you. How have you been?”

She asks with true interest.

Helena waits for a response while Myka continues staring into her glass.

Myka swirls around the melted ice and lemon bits, takes a swig, then sets it back down.

She opens her mouth to speak but hesitates, as if making a decision about what to say next.

Without looking up she says, “Is there somewhere……,” she pauses and looks up at Helena.  
"….somewhere…um…..a bit more private to talk? I mean its fine here but….”

Myka surveys the room, wearing a slightly pained look. Her attention rests on the door.

Helena lays a hand on Myka’s shoulder to comfort her, causing Myka to jump.

Helena startles and pulls her hand away, quickly raising it as if to indicate a truce.

Myka turns towards Helena revealing eyes full of melancholy.

“Of course. Right. Let's go,” Helena says instantly.

They stand simultaneously, put on their jackets and exit the bar. Helena hails a cab.

\-------------------------

Their car speeds through the night, following Helena’s directions. The short trip is ridden in relative silence. Helena throws Myka a concerned look from time to time as Myka acts absorbed with the city speeding past her window.

Helena pays the driver as they exit the cab. She motions for Myka to follow and they walk toward a low rise weathered brick building. They ascend a few stairs and pause as Helena fumbles for her keys.

Myka takes a moment to survey the scene. The neighborhood is mostly residential. She can just make out a street sign at the end of the block. It seems they are in the depths of the Alphabets somewhere. Although Myka’s been to New York many times, she’s quite sure she’s never been this far east before in Manhattan.

Helena finally finds her keys and opens the door. Upon entering the building, they climb three flights of worn marble stairs all the way to the top. Helena unlocks the apartment door, and they walk into a sparsely furnished living room area. 

“I admit it’s a bit of a mess as I was not expecting visitors but please, do sit down, make yourself at home.”

Helena moves confidently through the room and sets her keys down on a weathered claw foot coffee table.

Myka superficially scans the area before entering further.

“Do you live here?” she asks while walking tentatively towards a leather couch.

Though the apartment is clearly renovated, she thinks Helena could probably afford something nicer.

“Yes, I do. Occasionally. When I’m not traveling extensively or being paraded around for show by my publisher. I like to spend my time here, usually writing. It can be quite tranquil. Also, no one in this neighborhood gives a toss who you are or are not.”

Helena hovers by a bookcase.

Myka decides to sit on the couch but continues taking in the features of the room.

Helena proceeds, "This flat would have been workman’s housing in the mid-1800’s. Shipbuilders, I’m told. I enjoy that it's not one of those horrid sterile glass boxes they are passing off as living quarters these days. I feel this place holds a resonance.” There is an air of performance in her speech.

As Myka is processing this information, Helena asks, “Would you like something to drink? I’m afraid I don’t have much on offer, alcoholic or otherwise. Only scotch, and tap water. Both excellent vintage.” Her eyes express a tiny bit of amusement.

Myka has never been a big drinker and has not encountered many occasions on which to drink as of late, she supposes, due to Pete’s sobriety. She can feel the cocktail from earlier coursing through her veins, but will not pass up the opportunity to gain a bit more courage tonight.

“Maybe both? On ice. But separate glasses?"

Helena dons a half smile. “Excellent choice."

Myka's eyes follow Helena’s form as it walks into the tiny kitchen next to the living room. She notes Helena pulling out a few glasses and a bottle, then her attention wanders. There is a darkened room behind the kitchen that contains an open door that must lead to the bedroom. She can barely make out the form of windows illuminated by moonlight through that door, but not much else.

Her attention travels back to the living room. While its contents are somewhat curated, she would loosely describe the esthetic as Victorian college student. There is a bookcase stuffed to the gills with books and papers facing in random directions. There are further books stacked by the bookshelves on the floor. The Guardian and New York Times pages litter most surfaces, mixed with a smattering of written on post-its and papers. There is an overstuffed gentlemen’s armchair in a corner by the fire escape window. A Tiffany style reading light sits atop an ornate wooden side table with a small drawer. The decor, she notes, is about as different from that of suburban Boone as it can get. 

Ugh……Boone. Myka sighs.

Why does she always get stuck on that point? She recalls the sight of Helena playing happy family in Boone, and her heart drops.

She turns to study Helena, back to Myka, pouring drinks for the both of them in the kitchen.

_This_ Helena, she thinks, right now in front of her, by comparison, is living a lifestyle completely and utterly in contrast to that of Boone. Here, in New York, she is a singular entity with no tether to the Warehouse, no identity placed upon her by family, no Victorian rules of propriety. Myka speculates that in her own time, before the bronze, Helena would _never_ have been allowed to live like this. She would have been forced to dwell with family until married, and undoubtedly ceaselessly pushed against the insurmountable mountain of restrictions placed upon her as a woman. Myka’s always considered Helena fiercely independent, but realizes how much of her persona is a manifestation of her opposition to the forces that, in Victorian times, were immovable, boxing her in, forcing her to fight for any scrap of autonomy. She imagines how exhausting living that kind of life would be compared to growing up in today’s world. Myka comes to the conclusion that Helena has never been afforded the luxury, at _any_ point in her history, to exist simply, to find her own way. Such a simple twentieth-century premise. So this apartment, this life she has been living…. _this_ is her attempt to do just that. To become herself. 

“Here we are,” Helena says as cheerfully as possible while precariously balancing two glasses of water and two tumblers of scotch in her hands.

She pushes a stack of newspapers off the coffee table and sets down the drinks, then settles in at the opposite end of the couch from Myka.

As her mind adjusts to this recent epiphany, Myka can’t bring herself to look directly at Helena. Instead she turns her attention to the bookshelves and sips her water. She decides to attempt to make small talk. “So…um....how long have you lived here?"

Helena sips her scotch and over the rim of her glass also looks toward the bookcase.

Her eyes narrow as she lowers the glass and turns to address Myka. “Darling, we are not here to talk about me. Tell me about you. Are you all right?"

“I—,” Myka’s head drops.

She stares at her hands, which she unconsciously begins to wring together nervously.

She tells herself, “Don’t sidestep this Myka, just tell her. You want her to know, that's why you’re here. Get right to it. Let the words come out. Remember, no more keeping things bottled up."

After a weighted pause, Myka continues. “I am now. All right. But I wasn’t. For awhile. There was—I was…..it was bad Helena. Really bad.”

She looks up at Helena, eyes full of sorrow.

Helena freezes for a moment, taken aback by the look in Myka's eyes. Her candor is jolting, and Helena genuinely fears what Myka might say next. She immediately feels the need to pull Myka towards her to comfort her but is afraid she might scare her away, as her touch earlier was not well received.

Instead she anxiously replies, “Was it artifact related? Was the Warehouse somehow involved?" 

Myka shakes her head. “No. nothing like that.”

Her eyes lower, and her mouth parts as if to speak. Her breathing increases and she licks her lips. Her eyes grow large and watery.

Helena stares at the sight of Myka rapidly falling apart in front of her. She sits perfectly still trying not to panic. She’s utterly at a loss for what to do.

Myka speaks before Helena has a chance to say or do something rash.

“It was cancer Helena, ovarian cancer. Stage two ovarian cancer. I had surgery, and chemotherapy for several months. I lost all of my hair….,” she displays an uncomfortable smirk and turns to face Helena, “…..but I was so weak. And so stubborn! There were days when Pete had to follow me around and force me to rest. And other days where I could barely pull myself out of bed. I don’t know how everyone put up with me, but I know I wouldn’t be here today without their support.”

Myka looks straight through Helena as she finishes her admission. Her words are shaky, and her eyes tear up slightly. Her hands still on her lap.

Helena is absolutely stunned by this news.

Myka’s open and honest description of her illness causes Helena to feel so infinitely small, so ashamed of the life she’s been living on her own in New York. She mentally kicks herself for not being there by Myka’s side in support, for not even fathoming the possibility of something like this happening.

Her self-pity soon turns to anger as her breathing quickens and her hands tense into fists. It takes all of her strength to not stand up and punch a hole in the wall. She closes her eyes, pinches the bridge of her nose, breathes in a deep breath and lets it out.

She looks straight at Myka with great intensity. 

“I know this will mean very little to you now, but had I known I would have been there right by your side, every minute of every day. Every. Single. Minute, Myka.” Helena says this pointedly with the utmost sincerity.

Helena's breathing is hard, and she begins to shake. Her eyes harden.

Myka tries to answer with as little emotion as possible.

"Yeah well, Claudia said she tried to find you, to tell you, but that you had disappeared entirely. And if Claudia couldn't find you, then you obviously didn't want to be found. She said even Mrs. Frederic and the Regents didn’t know where you were.”

Her tone becomes increasingly agitated. "Were you here the whole time, Helena?"

“That is…..” Helena turns away to hide the guilt in her eyes, “…… complicated."

Myka rolls her eyes, throws up her hands and sinks back into the couch.

“Yeah, right. Thanks for that. I just spill my guts to you, and all you can give me is ‘that is complicated’. Really helpful, Helena.”

She says “that is complicated” in a mock British accent.

"Helena, being evasive as usual," Myka thinks. "Fine, just fine. _Whatever_."

Cocking her head slightly, Myka briefly rubs the back of her neck.

She then continues, “You know, once I was declared cancer-free and gained back enough of my strength, I decided it was best to face my demons. No more waiting around, wondering what might happen, letting things eat me up inside. It was time try to live my life as if I was in control of it. So I decided I needed to see you. For my own purposes. To put some craaazy thoughts in my head to rest.”

She waves a hand around to emphasize “craaazy”.

"But then there you were, all unreachable and everything. Its not like I could just call you up and get that coffee, right? How would I get your number?" 

Helena stays quiet and listens intently, attention firmly placed on Myka. She feels this clearly is the reprimand she deserves for her misdeeds. 

“And well once you wrote that book and became all _Emily Lake-ish_ again and were, like, _everywhere_ , Claudia said she could probably hack into something somewhere and get your cell number for me. I told her that would be weird, that I would figure it out somehow. Maybe I just had to wait until you were a little less famous or—or I could flash around my secret service badge someday and get close to you, but I’ve been grounded for months at the Warehouse. Artie wouldn’t let me out of his sight, so this is the first opportunity I’ve even had to try." 

Helena remains still, hands on lap, posture stiff, dutifully absorbing all of Myka’s ire. Myka continues.

“So here I am, sitting in your apartment on your antique leather couch, telling you that I couldn’t find you to tell you I was really sick and could have died. Because I needed you to know. And now you do. Can I use your restroom?"

Helena blinks as if to focus her eyes. Did Myka just ask her something? She’s not sure.

“Helena?"

Helena inhales sharply and snaps out of her haze.

“Oh. Yes, of course. Its on the other side of the kitchen, by the study."

Myka rises and crosses the room.

Helena watches her rise and cross the room, and then turns away when satisfied that Myka has indeed found the restroom. She picks up her scotch and downs the entire contents in one go.

\---------------------------

Once inside the tiny bathroom at the far end of the kitchen, Myka closes the door and leans against the sink. She stares at herself in the mirror but is looking past her reflection.

"This is what you wanted," she thinks, "exactly what you wanted. To see her. To tell her. To make sure she knew."

Her mind shifts suddenly. "But why? To make her feel bad about not being there for you? To add more guilt to her already full plate? It's not her fault you got sick. Her only fault is that no one could find her to tell her." 

She recalls her earlier epiphany, her understanding of what it means for Helena to be living alone. Alone meaning autonomous, by herself, taking care of herself, not on assignment or on vacation. Not having to behave like a proper woman for the good of the family, or act like a mother to child, a child that she bore, a child that in turn died a horrible death.

She raises a hand to her mouth. Didn’t she just tell Helena that she, herself, almost died?

"Oh Myka,” she says out loud as her eyes grow wide.

She mentally scolds herself and closes her eyes. 

Somehow she’d completely forgotten about Christina. 

Opening her eyes, she thinks of the photo of the little girl in the locket.

“Christina….”

She begins to analyze hurriedly a Helena from the distant past, struggling to place that information like a stencil onto the Helena she’s come to know in the present.

“She must have been the kind of parent that put her child’s needs above her own, especially as a single mother…...how exactly would that have worked in Victorian times? She’d have lost any true semblance of self when Christina died. I mean her actions totally point to that, right? Not that she was ever able to be her _real_ self in public, like, ever. Actually, being a mother must have been a safe space for someone like her to hide back then…..” 

She thinks then of Boone, of mothering, safety. Her head starts to spin.

"Ok, this is getting complicated, Bering. She _is_ in the next room. Just go talk to her. Didn’t you just say to yourself earlier that’s why you came here?" 

While attempting to regain composure she contemplates the contents of next conversation they need to have. Pointing fingers is not going to give her the closure she needs to heal. More than confessions of illnesses, she needs to get the truth from Helena. Why has she been running so hard and fast from the Warehouse? If she missed her as much as she said in her note, why sever all contact? 

Myka quietly exits the restroom, pauses and looks towards the living room.

Helena, now standing, is lost in thought, leaning against the window frame, one hand in pocket, absently staring out towards the street, sipping the remainder of (Myka's) scotch.

Myka decides to not disturb her for the moment and turns to peek into, as Helena called it, "the study.” Ambient light from the kitchen and the open bedroom door together create a soft glow over the room. She squints to make out its contents but its still too dark. Her curiosity takes over, and she purposefully moves further into the room to get a better look. She searches for a switch, flicks it on, and the room lights up.

She lets out an audible gasp.

“Helena! What. The. HELL....?"

Helena doesn’t have to look, she knows what Myka has found. She can hear the sound of papers being shuffled. She closes her eyes, tosses back the remainder of scotch in the tumbler and moves to join Myka.


	3. *three*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These two move forward a little, but back a lot. Helena is caught in a tornado of explanations. Myka is not satisfied with Helena’s initial vague responses and pushes for details. This causes quite a bit of back and forth between them and throws any hope of linearity out the window. But trust me, all will be resolved (well not _all_ per say but copious amounts.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was originally two chapters has suddenly become three due to the fact that Myka had too many questions that needed proper answers. So its all her fault. I’m posting all three at the once because there is a lot of information and I feel its best to read them all together.
> 
> \----------------------

As she crosses the short length of the apartment to intercept Myka, Helena realizes she hadn’t really thought this through, bringing Myka here on a whim. She decides this already difficult night is about to become even more complicated.

She arrives to find Myka standing in the middle of the study, clearly overwhelmed by the sheer volume and variety of scraps of paper attached to every square inch. Napkins, notebook paper, newspaper, takeout cartons, any and every surface that can hold a line has been used. Closer inspection reveals writing and schematics though the great majority show drawings of singular objects with notes scribbled below. Hidden beneath the clutter is a heavy looking wooden desk, a wooden desk chair with wheels, and a wooden filing cabinet. Everything is buried in papers, deconstructed electronics, and errant tools.

Helena keeps her distance, eyeing Myka nervously. 

Myka turns to address Helena. "What _is_ all of this Helena?” Her gaze stays fixed on Helena while her hand sweeps through the air across the expanse of papers. This motion causes her to lose her balance.

Helena jumps to steady her but stops short as Myka takes hold of the bedroom door jam.

During this process, a paper falls from the wall. 

Helena and Myka watch as the paper flutters to the floor.

Both move to pick it up.

Myka's hand reaches for the paper first.

A fraction of a second later, Helena’s hand lands on top.

Helena stares at her hand, now resting on top of Myka’s, then slowly pulls away as if in error.

Myka picks up the paper, and they both rise while viewing it. 

Helena leans towards Myka to get a better look at the exact content on the page.

She points to a section of text. “This is an idea I had for a portable storage device to record thoughts. Something more immediate than modern touch screens, closer to the feel of an actual journal. I'm sure such a thing must already exist, but I do so tire of research. Sometimes one feels the need to visualize a thing first." 

Myka absorbs this information, then looks up from the drawing to survey the room again. "And the rest? Are they all ‘visualized’ inventions?” Her eyes stop on Helena. "I don't think so, Helena. Something else is going on here. There are just too many. And they seem drawn by the same obsessive person. I'm assuming that person is you.” She narrows her eyes in Helena's direction as she says “you.”

Helena wears a blank expression and does not offer any further information. She blinks.

Myka surmises that Helena is weighing the consequences of giving her the straight up facts or altering the story slightly to make it seem more palatable. She waits a few moments for an answer but is quickly losing patience. 

“Listen.” She puts down the piece of paper on the desk and starts to circle the room. "One of the reasons I wanted to see you again so badly was to clear the air between us.” She stops and wags a finger between them. She then continues pacing. "To have a _real_ conversation about _actual_ feelings so that I could have some kind of resolution. After my illness, I realized just how much had been left unsaid and for me to heal I needed it to be said. So here I am, talking. I promised myself I'd be as honest as possible and not hold anything back. I'm not sure why I told you about the cancer first. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. Please don’t be scared off. I’m not a fragile flower. I think I’m actually stronger now in some ways than I was before. So please, _please_ , Helena, tell me the truth about what’s going on. I think I deserve it. And so do you."

Helena feels dizzy watching Myka walk back and forth across the room.

When Myka finally stops, she stands inches away from Helena. Her expression reads, “I dare you to tell me the truth, Helena Wells”.

The instant Helena's eyes meet Myka’s piercing gaze her resistance is broken. She knows Myka has won. And if she's being truthful with herself, Myka nearly always wins where she is concerned. She’s been running so hard and fast since she hit the ground all those years ago. She needs to stop. She is tired. So _very_ tired. And Myka is here, and alive, and by some divine miracle still seems to have faith in her. The longer she stares at Myka, the more she loses herself in those bottomless green eyes. She now finds it impossible to not comply.

Helena sighs deeply. "Fine." Slowly the tips of her mouth curl upwards to form a modest smile. “All right. But I do think you should sit down for this.”

Helena turns and walks over to clear the wooden chair of papers. Pushing them unceremoniously onto the floor, she motions for Myka to sit as if it were a throne.

Myka, grinning ear to ear from her clear victory, complies and plops down in the newly emptied chair. 

“Start at the beginning please.” she says with anticipation.

Helena moves across the room to lean against the messy desk. She runs a shaky hand through her hair and gives another sigh. Clearing her throat, she starts at the beginning.

\-----------------

“As you can imagine. My mind was in a state of absolute chaos those first few days out of the bronze.” Helena explains.

“Wait,” Myka says pointedly, raising a hand. “I didn’t mean the beginning beginning.”

Helena smirks while cocking an eyebrow. “Darling, I’m afraid that is where this story must begin. You did indicate your interest in the entire tale, did you not?”.

“Yes." Myka throws Helena a playful scowl. 

"Then you must refrain from interrupting me as I venture to give it to you,” Helena instructs.

At that Myka reclines as regally as possible in the chair as if hunkering down for an epic tale. "Ok, continue.” She waves a hand.

Helena breathes out a noise of amusement at Myka’s hand motion and smiles. She pushes herself off the desk and starts to walk around the room. "Now where was I.....yes.....having been recently freed from the bronze, my mind was reeling, my sight, limited. It took several days for my motor functions to return fully. I had no way of knowing when or where I was, and furthermore, why I was there. I heard voices, both hallucinatory and real. In hindsight, I recall questions. Many questions. By male voices with familiar accents."

"Voices? You mean like Macpherson's?" interjects Myka. 

Helena stops pacing to glower at Myka. 

“Sorry— sorry. I'll shut up now." Myka throws her hands up in truce. 

Helena resumes pacing the room. "As I said, at the time, I could not discern what was real from what was fiction. But I knew there were new voices added to the ones I’d been living with for well over a hundred years. Something had fundamentally changed. I was unsure of how to proceed. Therefore, I believe I answered whatever the questions were to the best of my ability.”

Helena tries to recollect events hazy at best. “At some point I must have fallen asleep, as I recall waking up in a room, on a bed. A tangible room on an actual bed, not ones conjured up by my mind. I could barely move, but my limbs were free. MacPherson was there. He helped me to sit up and gave me water, food. He told me what had happened, why I was there and laid out his plan. You may recall the events that took place after this point."

Myka nods her head to indicate yes but keeps her lips sealed. She knows she shouldn’t interrupt again.

Helena crosses her arms and leans against the desk again. She furrows her brow and pauses for a moment, puzzling out the steps in which to most efficiently relay this story to Myka. 

“I began having these ‘visions' of artifacts shortly after I was released from the bronze….,” Helena points to the drawings lining the room, “….though I didn’t identify them as such until years later. For a long while I assumed they were an after effect of the hundred years I'd spent frozen in the Warehouse, a sort of souvenir from the bronze. Then after Sykes, the visions increased in number and intensity. They became debilitating at times. I thought Sykes had done something to me to aid his quest to collect artifacts. I then decided the time differential brought upon us by the Astrolabe was to blame, and believed perhaps I came back slightly altered. At some point, I even fancied the idea that evil Arthur had ‘whammed' me for his own personal gain. That was incorrect as well.”

Helena runs a hand through her hair as she looks away. Licking her lips, she then turns back toward Myka.

“Every theory I came up with proved false. The Astrolabe was returned and the day was saved, but _crazy _Helena remained, still seeing things.” She says “crazy” with a bit of warble in her voice while waving a hand.__

"I grew ever more paranoid. I thought perhaps the Regents had carried out some further action upon me during my time in the orb, or rather to my body, and were using Emily Lake to locate artifacts for them. Or— that the Warehouse itself was using me as a sort of conduit to locate its artifacts. This is initially why, even after the Astrolabe’s return, I could not return to the Warehouse, and did not contact you. My trust in _you_ , Myka, was not lost. It was my trust in the Warehouse and those tied to that had to be severed. ”

The look she gives Myka is bittersweet.

Myka opens her mouth to argue this point but bites her tongue. 

“It took an eternity to figure out _why_ the visions were still happening. Once that was solved, I then had to suss out _how_ they were happening, so that I might find a way to stop them."

“And have you?” Myka can’t help herself.

“Have I what?” Helena is startled out of her train of thought.

“Figured out why they are happening.”

“Yes.” Helena snaps back, somewhat perturbed by the interruption.

Myka waits for further explanation but becomes impatient when Helena offers none. 

“Ok…..,” Myka decides she should try asking in a slightly different way, "so have you found a way to stop them?"

Helena sweeps her arm around the room dramatically and with a sour tone barks, “What do you think?” She places her hands on her hips and purses her lips.

“Um, oh. I guess no.” Myka's tone is apologetic, but her eyes are still hard.

Myka rises and cranes her neck to inspect the drawings more closely. She sees now that they are indeed artifacts. Pointing to a pink post-it, “This one…..Pete and I bagged in Minnesota about a year ago.” She looks at the written text at the bottom of the post-it, and it actually says St. Paul, Minnesota. “And this,” she points to a raggedy edged piece of yellow notebook paper, “we found in Connecticut.” She makes a face to show her distaste for that particular state.

She turns to look around the room. “Actually I recognize a lot of these but there’s a bunch more that I don’t. Do you think they’re all artifacts? And do the visions always tell you where they are located? Do they also tell you what they do?” Myka questions in rapid fire.

Helena walks to stand behind Myka, who is examining a particular drawing. She fiddles with her locket. “I’ve decided they must all be artifacts though not necessarily harmful ones. They might come to me if they are disturbed or touched by someone, somewhere. Or perhaps when they are first born. Hence the location specificity. And occasionally I receive the artifact’s name. I honestly do not have a clue how it all works. And no, I do not know what they all do, except on the occasion when I recognize something as once being in the Warehouse database. I believe that answers all of your questions.”

Myka looks up to acknowledge Helena’s answers.

Helena nods while wearing a small self-satisfied half-smile. 

“Ok.” Myka crosses her arms. "So then what _is ___causing these visions, Helena?” Myka starts to circle the room, head cocked to one side, waving her hand while talking. "You said you eventually figured it out. Is this why you were staying away from the Warehouse?” She stops a few inches in front of Helena again. "Why didn’t you ask for our help? Why can’t we fix this?”

Helena defensively crosses her arms and glares at Myka.

Myka glares right back.

Helena’s eyes travel to Myka’s pursed lips, lingering momentarily, seduced by their beauteous form. 

Helena licks her lips and decides just to cut to the chase. 

“It was Valda.”

“What?” Myka says incredulously. Her arms drop from being crossed. “How? Why?” Her mouth falls open.

“Perhaps we should sit." 

\-----------------------

They relocate to the living room.

Myka dutifully sits on the couch, sinking into a corner, resting an arm on the back.

Helena bypasses the couch altogether to lean on the wall near a window. Touching her fingers to her lips, she stares introspectively at the street outside. Her hand drops to fidget with her locket as she releases a heavy sigh.

“For the record, I've only very recently figured it all out,” Helena says still facing the window.

“How recently?” 

Helena pushes off the wall and walks the short distance to the couch. She settles into the opposite corner from Myka.

“Quite awhile after our meeting in Boone. Somewhere around _Emily Lake - novelist_.” Helena reflects.

Myka shoots her a glare. She did not come all this way to be given vague details.

“That’s, like, at least a year, Helena. A _year_!” Myka huffs. "Lots of things can happen in a year. Me getting sick is proof of that. Can you be more specific?” 

Helena looks away. Hands on lap, she runs a thumb over her knuckles.

“Myka I’m not sure…..,” Helena tries to deflect. This story is long and twisted. Having just learned Myka’s been ill causes her to hesitate. She’s not certain she should upset Myka with all of her troubles.

Myka stands up.

Helena’s eyes go wide. She shrinks further into the couch.

“Helena, look,” Myka realizes that she is going to have to spell it out.

“I’m here. You’re here. We're both here, right now, in this room, alone, together. When does that _ever_ happen?”

She moves her index finger between them. Hand on hip, she leans her body towards Helena.

“You said earlier you would tell me the whole story. And I am holding you to that. Because that’s what I want....I _deserve_ the whole story. All of it. And I am sure it's complicated. _So_ complicated. It _always_ is with you. But I don’t care.....I _really_ don't. Break it down for me. Make me understand. I want details.”

Her analytical mind needs to know the steps Helena used to solve this puzzle.

A slow smile spreads across Helena’s face, and her body relaxes a little. She thinks Myka is _indescribably_ sexy when she’s being commandeering like this. Mouth open, she runs her tongue over her left top teeth while her eyes look a little to the side. She then looks back at Myka and says, “Righty-ho, then.”

Myka resumes her seat on the couch.

Helena breathes in and begins where she left off. 

\-------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These three chapters, I think (so far), have been the hardest to flesh out. They are doing my head in. I've seriously wrestled with fitting the canon in as faithfully as possible and then working my narrative into the canon as I see it. At every turn I was being lambasted by Myka’s questions, always one step ahead of me, needing to know everything fits together. Damn you Myka!


	4. *four*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Falling backwards, moving forward, its all the same here. Pushing the story along.
> 
> \----------------------

"I believe Valda was covertly working with Macpherson. But unbeknownst to Macpherson, Valda used an artifact on me those first few days out of the bronze. It was something that became activated by looking through it, or putting it up to your eyes. Something that perhaps lead you to what you most desired. That’s my best guess as I haven’t yet determined exactly what it was as of yet." Helena attempts to simplify.

"So Valda whammied you so you'd become his personal artifact finder? Why? Did he want to one up Macpherson? That seems like an odd choice. He must have known once you were fully awake you wouldn't cooperate." Myka tries to make sense of this information. 

“I don’t think I was meant to last as long as I have in this world. To my knowledge, Macpherson's only reason for unbronzing me was to get to the imperceptor vest. He clearly was going to dispose of me afterward as I was too volatile. Valda knew this, so I assume he needed me _specifically_ to find something for him while I was still alive. Funnily enough, I do think his use of the artifact brought me around much quicker than I would have without it. In my hazy state, I might have told Macpherson immediately where the vest was, but after the artifact I was too perceptive to fall for his games." Helena sounds pensive. She rubs the knuckles of one of her hands as they rest on her lap.

"So you knew all of this when I first met you? I mean the artifact part since you said earlier you didn’t know it was Valda. You knew that you’d been whammied? Did you think it was Macpherson?” Myka says somewhat accusatively. 

"I knew nothing of the sort.”

Helena jerks back and her posture stiffens at Myka’s accusatory tone. She looks away.

"My thoughts were murky at best, I was constantly being pulled under by my past. I was running, always running, constantly navigating this new world.” Helena loses herself a vague melancholy.

This does not appease Myka.

“So _that’s_ how you knew about Tamplais and the chain? The Corsican vest. You weren’t just following us."

Myka shifts a little.

Helena explains, "Yes and no. The visions were not as precise as they are presently, but they did guide me. They were not disruptive, they felt more like….subconscious memories. I believed once I returned to the Warehouse they would subside, but they did not. Also, as you know, I obviously had other rather more troubling personal issues on my mind that were of utmost importance. I so deeply regret not confiding in you about my mental state during that time, Myka, but in my defense I’m not sure to what degree I was fully in control of my actions.” Helena's eyes are pleading.

Myka tries to lighten the mood. “Obviously. duh. I had no idea you were a one-woman ping machine. Also, you were still trying to play me, so of course you kept it to yourself." She can’t help the slight bitterness in her voice. 

Helena feels the sting. She fingers her locket for a moment then drops her arm.

She pushes through her guilt and continues, “When we first met Valda in Egypt, I immediately recognized the voice. I’d not yet remembered those first days out of the bronze, but I knew he was one of the Regents involved in my reinstatement. He argued in my favor, as did others, so I thought nothing of it." 

Myka leans back to listen, feeling a little guilty about her earlier jibe. 

“While you were off with Peter settling into the hotel, Valda and I talked fervently about Warehouse 2, deliberating over the dangers we might face. He asked me what I knew of the artifacts held there, and if I had any clue of their power. We both took detailed notes. A vision came to me as we talked, and I absently sketched it on my page. At some point, you rang to fill me in with information Artie had just Farnsworthed. I took the call and stepped away from the table, wanting to keep the conversation to myself. Valda must have spotted my drawing and flipped through my notebook, which was full of drawings from previous visions. I imagine it was at this point that he came to the conclusion his earlier actions were responsible for much of the book’s contents, and that I might yet lead him to his desired target."

Myka leans forward with a furrowed brow. “What was his desired target?"

Helena gives an assiduous smile, “Patience my dear, patience. Stay with me."

Myka leans back and lets out an exasperated sound while grimacing.

"Warehouse 2 held an item that Valda wanted, something he could not let the Regents know he possessed. So important in fact that he faked his death in order to complete his task. He assumed I would not be able to complete my own twisted plan, that the memory hall would fully incapacitate me. He had no way of knowing you’d pull me though, Myka.” Helena's face simultaneously reads grateful yet full of shame.

“Therefore, he couldn’t have predicted I would become so insanely vengeful after those flashbacks that I'd fill Warehouse 2 with sand. I thoroughly cocked up his plan. I’m quite sure he was livid.” Helena says matter-of-factly.

Myka doesn’t buy it.

“You are sure he didn’t die in the fire? I was there you know. It looked real enough to me."

“We obviously we were meant to believe he sacrificed himself that day. But he did not."

"How do you know?"

"Because I’ve witnessed him in the flesh."

Myka starts a reply but catches herself before the wrong words come out. She wants to know where, when, why, how, but understands if derails Helena from the timeline she’s been describing she may not be able to guide her back. And she wants the whole story. Those questions will have to wait.

She tries to keep Helena on track.

“I see. Right. OK. So then, what happened next,” it's a calculated move, “after Egypt?”

Helena takes the bait.

"Well, lets see, I tried the end the world with a giant fork and nearly killed you. My consciousness was imprisoned in an orb while my body played mousy schoolteacher with a cat named Dickens in Wyoming,” she says with a sneer. Her hand resting on the couch arm digs in firmly.

"Helena…,” Myka says knowingly.

Myka’s relieved her move paid off. 

“Sorry, still a bit _miffed_ about that one.” Helena says with contempt.

Helena adjusts her position on the couch.

She looks away momentarily and rubs her hand unconsciously on her sleeve, taking a minute to reflect on what she’s just said. When she turns back, she realizes Myka has been waiting patiently for her to continue.

Somewhat shakily Helena continues the story, “What…..I…..believe...happened next……..I had no visions inside or outside of the orb. I had no body and, therefore, could not be a conduit."

Helena's hand sides down her arm and joins the other on her lap. She runs her thumb over her knuckles again and turns to face Myka.

“ _Emily Lake_ had visions. Apparently Emily was receiving ‘Regent approved’ therapy. They apparently interpreted the visions as latent memories the coin did not remove. I've learned that Emily was prescribed some rather lovely anti-anxiety medication with which to quell their existence." 

Myka is shocked by this news.

"How do you know all of this?”

She thinks about how terrifying the visions must have been for poor fragile Emily, as she knew nothing of the Warehouse. Suddenly she feels a pang of outrage for Emily, and separately Helena, at this admission.

Helena continues, "One day I arrived at the apartment to find a pile of drawings on my desk. They had my handwriting. I instantly knew they must have been from Emily. I immediately researched Emily's past as best I could on my own, as I had access to several of her accounts with my ID."

Myka blinks.

“Wow...just….wait, Helena……where did the…..,” once again Myka catches herself before falling into Helena’s trap to sidetrack the conversation, ".....oh never mind. You can tell me later."

Myka scoots to the edge of the couch, gaining Helena’s attention, and moves quickly to keep the conversation on course.

“So, Emily was having visions too? What happened when you were released from the coin?"

Helena contemplates this question.

“There really wasn’t much time between being reunited with my body and traveling to Hong Kong, though I don’t think I slept the entire trip. I was focused on thwarting Sykes plan and plotting revenge for what he had done to Steven. I noticed little else.” Helena’s eyes and voice are cold as she shrinks back and places her arms on the sides of the couch.

“What happened next you are familiar with. I nearly killed you yet _again_.” Helena says as if a common occurrence.

"Ugh,” Myka rolls her eyes, exasperated. She sits back. “How many times do I have to tell you _saved_ me, Helena."

“Well, I suppose I eventually did achieve that, yes,” Helena says somewhat distantly satisfied. She absently picks at an errant button on the sofa and stares at an indeterminate point in the room.

There’s a pause. Helena is stuck. Its Myka’s fault. She chides herself for breaking Helena’s concentration, but could not bear Helena's guilt taking over. She needs to pull her out of this.

Myka says the first thing that comes to mind, “You sacrificed yourself to save me, Helena, yes, but then you were brought back by the time shift caused by the Astrolabe and everything changed. You said you felt changed. Tell me about that…..tell me what happened to you after we stopped Sykes?”

This brings Helena’s attention back to Myka. Her mind takes a minute for to shift gears, but she eventually answers Myka’s question.

"I was hurriedly whisked away, and thoroughly questioned, by the remaining Regents. I told them what I knew, but had to convince them I wasn’t responsible for any of it. Honestly, how could I have been? But their paranoia was blinding, and they didn’t want to believe a word I said. Mrs. Fredric managed to eventually convince them I was sincere. Neither of us knew exactly what happened at the Warehouse, but we both knew something was terribly off.” She flicks her wrist at the word “off”.

“The Regents wanted to monitor me, and Mrs. Fredric convinced them it would be best if she alone were responsible for my person and my actions. I would work exclusively for her. She tasked me with research and informed me that I was to stay away from the Warehouse for the moment. She needed to study the situation without any outside influences. I protested, but she made a convincing argument in her favor. The stakes were high. We all were in grave danger. The sooner it was sorted out, the sooner we could all move forward."

Myka hurls Helena a “here we go again” look and sinks even further into the couch.

Helena closes her eyes briefly and sighs in response. She tries to rationalize.

“Myka, I _desperately_ wanted to see you, but that was impossible if I had hidden agendas. I knew how tenuous our trust was."

Myka leans forward and barks, “Our trust wasn’t—wouldn’t have been tenuous, _Helena_ , if you would have just talked to me and told me the truth."

Helena’s blood pressure rises and she moves forward the edge of her seat.

"When, Myka. Where? And what? How much? If I began, I knew I’d have to finish. It would all come out, and I’d muck everything up, as usual, and we’d all be sunk. Can you not see that?”

She leans forward, elbow on knee, hand to mouth, and actively looks away.

Myka determinedly crosses her arms with a scowl. She doesn’t want to see that.

Helena turns back to face Myka.

"I had to allow you, _all_ of you, to think I was unavailable so as to observe Arthur’s actions, and the Warehouse, in general, without bias. Becoming his confidante on the dagger was a large win for Mrs. Fredric and I. It was imperative I not foul that up. My personal feelings had no place in this decision.” Her hands ball into fists.

"Ok, ok, yeah, yeah, fine—I get it. Fine.” Myka’s not fine, this discussion is far from over, but Helena’s not going to budge right now she can tell. Moving on. “Ok. So you worked with Mrs. F to figure it all out, confronted Artie, found out you sacrificed yourself to save me, blah, blah, blah then just _disappeared_. I already know this part. What I want to know is _why_ you stayed away, Helena. Why Boone? Why—"

“Myka, MYKA—.....slow down.” Helena is nearly jumping out of her seat. "I promise to explain to the best of my abilities what happened next. But please, _please_ , promise me you will listen to what I am saying and try to understand my state of mind. I know you must have your own theories."

Myka is all ears.

\----------------------

Helena pushes her body forward and perches on the edge of the couch, hands folded on her lap. She begins by chronicling the mess she found herself in after the “great evil” inside of Artie was thwarted.

“Once the Astrolabe was safely returned to the Brotherhood, I spoke with Mrs. Fredric, in confidence, about the visions I was having. I explained that while they had been occurring continuously since I was unbronzed, they increased in number and intensity after Sykes. She came up with a theory- perhaps Sykes used an artifact on Emily, before he deciphered the intel about the coin, in an attempt to obtain the information he needed from me. She believed that interaction must have altered the state of the visions once my consciousness was returned to my body."

Myka, sitting expectantly on the other side of the couch, agrees. “That sounds plausible."

“Unfortunately once all of Sykes artifacts were located none seemed quite to fit. We were beginning to suspect more and more that my condition had something to do with the Regents. Mrs. Frederic confronted the remaining Regents, but the results were inconclusive. We then began to explore other theories.”

Helena stands and starts to pace the room again.

"I’d come to believe my proximity to the Warehouse itself, including everyone and everything connected to it, fed the visions. That the Warehouse had created them as a tether, _pre_ -Sykes, but that _post_ -Sykes it had tightened its grip. It was trying to hold me down, pull me under, to _use_ me for its own purposes. Mrs. Fredric did not disagree." 

Myka is getting dizzy watching Helena criss-cross the room, hands flailing to emphasize her point. 

“When the Regents _strongly_ suggested I stay sequestered so they may monitor my condition, I literally bolted. I was _not_ subjecting myself to their scrutiny once again. They had _no right_.”

Helena halts and slams a fist on the wooden table by the window. The Tiffany lamp residing on top begins to teeter. She lunges to stabilize the lamp causing Myka to let out a stifled chuckle.

Myka knows this is a serious moment, but she can’t help herself.

Lamp rescued, Helena takes a second to compose herself. She eyes the couch and decides perhaps its best to sit back down.

Myka picks up where the conversation left off. “When you say the Regents ‘ _strongly_ suggested you stay sequestered', you basically mean they tried to hold you against your will by using any means possible?” Myka speculates. She purses her lips in disapproval.

“Yes,” Helena says with a hearty nod. 

“Even Jane Lattimer?"

“Of that I am not certain, as the particulars did not interest me.”

Helena sinks in further to the couch and rubs the knuckles on one hand. She looks away.

"I ran before the Regents put into practice whatever new absurdity they dreamed up to keep hold of me. I firmly believed I had to distance myself as much as possible from the Warehouse and all of its functions if it were to release its hold on me.” Helena explains sternly.

"I needed to secure a situation where the Regents would not be able to lock me away without anyone noticing I was missing,” Helena adds while decisively not looking at Myka.

Myka eyes Helena suspiciously.

"So Boone? Adelaide and…..ahem..’Nate'? Your job? Suburbia? _That_ was your solution?” Myka throws her head back and gives a skeptical snort. 

“Yes.”

Helena turns to face Myka and attempts to be earnest.

“Myka, I had to find a cover quickly. I was convinced if I were to embed myself in 'normalcy', as far away from artifacts and Warehouse life as possible, the visions would subside. And if I would be ‘missed’ somewhere, the Regents could not kidnap me and lock me away. A claustrophobic small town seemed to be a reasonable idea at the time." 

Myka sighs, then grimaces and raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, Helena. Leave it to you to go to extremes at the drop of a hat. That didn't exactly work either, did it?”

Myka waits expectantly, but Helena has no retort. Myka then decides she needs to rephrase the question.

She moves purposefully to the edge of the couch and leans toward Helena, hands on knees.

Helena, on instinct, moves forward as well, angling her body towards Myka.

Eyeing Helena firmly, Myka asks, “Why did you call me that day, _really_?"

Helena breaks eyes contact and looks down. 

“I—,” Helena’s attention turns to a newspaper nearly falling off of the coffee table. She reaches out to fiddle with an edge.

“I'd convinced myself the visions were getting better. As you know I simply adored Adelaide, and Nate was…..had...his uses.”

She avoids seeing Myka’s response by turning further away, but then glances sideways at Myka.

Myka frowns. This still is not the answer to her question.

Helena looks down again, reaches to finger her locket, then up at Myka.

“The whole scenario wore on me. I knew I couldn’t go on like that forever. I’d reached a plateau. Just how far away from the Warehouse did I need to be, mentally and physically, for the visions to stop? Perhaps I had acted hastily, and this was not the correct solution.”

Helena's arm drops to her lap.

Myka smirks as she shakes her head. She moves further back into the couch.

“Gee, ya think so?” She slaps her hands on the couch arm and back.

Helena scowls and waves her away.

"When the jawbone artifact surfaced I had an idea. What if the Warehouse were to come to me? Then I'd have my answer. And perhaps I could see you once more.”

Myka narrows her eyes. She is not playing that game right now.

"And how’d that work out for you, seeing me 'once more'? Because, you know, for me, the way things were left? That was pretty damn awful."

An intense feeling of guilt washes over Helena. She visibly tenses, moving ever more to the edge of the couch. She knows she needs to repair at least some of the damage she has so clearly done.

“I— I _sincerely_ apologize for my behavior that day, Myka. My asinine charade clearly left you heartbroken, and I honestly hadn’t a clue how to fix it. I'd let you down yet again, and dug myself an even deeper hole. Yet watching you drive away that evening……suddenly _everything_ fell into place. The Warehouse was not to blame. Nor the Regents. Nor Sykes. There was _something_...,” she makes a fist and tightly closes her eyes at the word ‘something', “...I had not considered, some detail I was missing. An entirely new entity was at play. I immediately knew I had to untangle myself from the false life I'd created and move on."

Myka glowers at Helena, eyes full of quiet rage. Helena's attempt to placate her lingering discontent regarding the events of that day has failed. Her apology does not satisfy Myka at all. 

"Why didn't you tell me, Mrs. Fredric…..I don’t know….. _anyone_ , all of this after Boone? You could have easily called me and Pete, and we would have turned around right then and there and picked you up."

Helena stands from the couch and looks away from Myka. She runs a hand though her hair and palms the back of her neck while looking down, emphasizing just how exasperated she has become while trying to explain her actions. She then turns to address Myka directly.

"Myka, don’t you see? I was at wits end. The people watching me from the shadows…..they no longer were exclusively Regent related. Suddenly I was faced with a quandary much greater in magnitude than you and I and the Warehouse. Someone _purposefully_ induced these visions as they wanted something _specifically_ from me. _This_ was the revelation that led me to believe all of this nonsense must have been instigated during my time with Macpherson. Which in turn indicated forces operating outside of the Warehouse were involved, forces that potentially posed a threat to the Warehouse. I decided then, and there I would sort this out on my own. It was clear that my very presence in this world was the threat, that— that _I_ was potentially harmful to the Warehouse, not the other way around. I needed to remove further myself from anything and everything associated with the Warehouse, not only to keep you out of harms way, but to work out the entirety of what was going on.”

Helena desperately tries to make Myka to understand. She sits back down.

Myka doesn’t budge. She continues to eye Helena with contempt.

“Also, you told me I should stay in Boone.” Helena huffs out, and motions with and arm vaguely toward Myka. Feeling defensive, she crosses her arms. Her eyes harden. 

“ _Helena—_ ”

When Myka finally speaks, she leans forward a little, one hand gripping the edge of the couch.

“That's just—just _stupid_.” She says “stupid” with such disdain that spit flies from between her teeth. "Its _all_ stupid. I _knew_ you knew I didn’t mean that when I said it. I mean you could have…..". 

Helena cuts her off.

“ _Myka—_ ,“

Helena stiffens.

“Have I stated otherwise? At that moment my whole world was shattered. _All_ of my previous theories were suddenly proven null. After everything that had happened, I was back to square one. I’d been running so hard, trying to stay one step ahead of a force I no longer could identify. I needed it all to stop. _All_ of it. And I had obviously had completely alienated you already that day. I’d clearly run out of times I could ask for your help."

“ _So_ —stupid," Myka mumbles under her breath.

She turns away in disgust as her expression toughens onto a scowl. She takes a deep breath.

Helena pauses, caught introspectively in her guilty conscious.


	5. *five*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helena is still digging herself out of a very large hole. Myka is continues calling Helena out over details. Myka, also, perhaps, needs to learn when to chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and phew! This chapter ends the arc and _finally_ there is some resolution.
> 
> \----------------------

Myka is so angry she can barely speak. She glares pointedly at Helena for a minute, then indicates Helena should continue by raising her eyebrows, nodding her head forward and jutting out her jaw slightly. She grips the couch arm tightly.

Helena breathes a heavy sigh, and her body goes limp in defeat. She looks to the side while running her tongue over her front teeth, then begins again.

“After Boone I went back into hiding, but with altogether different purpose. I was now avoiding the Warehouse to protect it, as opposed to running from it. I needed to regroup, to try to make sense of this all anew. I’d realized whoever was watching me was already doing so even when I was hiding with the Astrolabe. So if this mystery stalker did not approach me in the past, they must be waiting patiently for something, in particular, to occur. I came to the conclusion that they would not harm me personally, but they may want harm the ones I loved.”

She looks up at Myka. 

While Myka is starting to understand Helena’s flawed logic, she won't admit it out loud just yet. Her face and body both soften in response to Helena's both apologetic and asking eyes.

Helena continues to explain, “I had to reach into the depths of my mind and pull out any and all details that I could recall, starting from the day I was unbronzed. I began obsessively writing down everything I could call forth from the moment I was woken."

Helena stands up suddenly as she realizes there is something Myka needs to see. She motions for Myka to follow her.

They walk across the kitchen into the study and stop in front of the desk.

Helena opens a drawer, takes out an overstuffed journal and hands it to Myka.

Myka eyes the book curiously, then commences avidly thumbing through it.

Helena stands by her side, expectantly observing her actions.

“O.K. Uh-huh," Myka absently nods her head, "So _this_ , Helena, _this_ is maybe even more insane than all the other stuff that’s going on in this room." Myka motions with her hand to the contents of the room without looking up from the book.

A quick flip through the journal reveals written entries, charts, and drawings. There are colored tabs sticking out everywhere, and items haphazardly glued into place. Myka pulls out a timeline that’s been folded and taped onto a page. She carefully refolds it and puts it back into place.

“So this is when you figured out it was Valda? Wouldn't you think it was Macpherson, first?" Myka says toward the book, head cocked to the side, scanning entry after entry with interest.

Without thinking she walks across the room and sits in the wooden desk chair.

Helena turns and leans back on the wooden desk, hands gripping the edge.

Effectively they are positioned exactly as they were earlier in the evening.

“Yes, of course, Macpherson was my first suspect, yet I could not figure out how incapacitating me like _this_ ,” when she says “this” she waves a hand in a swirly motion near her head, "would have fit into his plan. He needed me clearheaded _and_ cooperative to find as well as activate the items he required my assistance in obtaining. Therefore I ruled him out."

Myka looks up from the notebook for a second to acknowledge Helena’s theory, but instantly turns her attentions back the notebook. 

Helena offers further details. "At that point, I needed to ascertain who else Macpherson was working with that would be privy to highly classified and sensitive Warehouse information. What kind of accomplice would have access to my personal history?"

Myka’s head shoots up, eyes wide. She knows the answer.

"A Regent.....” Mouth agape, she drops her head in thought.

“Indeed.” Helena nods.

“A _rogue_ Regent.” Myka adds, looking directly at Helena with amazement.

“I then made a list of the Regents that I could recall being present during both of my trials. I looked into the lives of the ones I could identify to determine why they were chosen to be Regents to see what patterns emerged.”

Helena walks over to where Myka is sitting and takes the notebook out of her hands. She flips through several pages until she finds the one containing the list, then hands the book back to Myka.

Myka places a finger on the page.

“Most of these names are crossed off, and there are numbers listed next to them.”

She flips through the book, matching numbers with pages and scans Helena’s notes for each name.

Helena explains. “I had to be methodical. Uncovering the lives of each Regent was a lengthy process. Remember, I did not have access to the Warehouse database. Also, I had to conduct my research covertly, in such a manner as to not raise any red flags. I knew I was still being watched by both the Regents and this mystery force.”

Helena walks back to resume her place leaning against the desk.

Myka continues cross-referencing names, then suddenly looks up.

“Your book…..,” she pauses, mouth still open.

“……was the perfect cover for my research, yes.” Helena finishes her sentence, a twinkle in her eye.

“So Valda….”

Myka needs to know how this all finally came together.

Helena takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out.

"At first I dismissed Valda as he was no longer alive. After exhausting all other avenues, I decided I should go ahead and research him. Luckily, it seemed his life was well documented in the press. Valda lost his only child in a fire, a fire that was caused by his own negligence. After the event, he was grief-stricken to the point of mental exhaustion."

Myka absently closes the notebook and looks up to give Helena her full attention.

Helena shifts a little and leans further against the desk.

"And so it seemed we had 'issues' in common.” Helena firmly looks away. Her lips form a sneer as she says “issues.” 

Momentarily distracted by thoughts associated said “issues," Helena continues with little thought as to the continuity of her story.

“Mrs. Fredric confirmed the information I’d collected concerning Valda was correct and revealed to me the Regents recruited Valda during his recovery." 

This disjunctive information surprises Myka. “Wait, what? When did you talk to Mrs. Fredric?"

Myka’s anger begins to rise again.

“I thought you said earlier you had 'severed all contact' with the Warehouse, in order to protect it from you?” 

Helena purses her lips.

"I needed a reliable source to confirm my theories and I’d exhausted every other avenue. As I stated previously, I’ve only very recently come to be in possession of enough pieces to solve the puzzle. I decided it was time to enlist further help."

Myka narrows her eyes as she waits for the rest of Helena’s explanation.

Helena elaborates, “By the time I’d worked all of this out my novel had been published. I was firmly embedded in 'the business’, and had commitments to attend to. My face and name were becoming well known. I no longer felt I had to live my life as if it were being controlled by the forces following me. I had gained autonomy, power, agency. Enough to protect those close to me if it came down to it. I could finally defend myself. If they wanted me, they would have to fight on my terms.” Helena’s eyes turn dark as her fingers grip the edge of the desk tightly.

Myka notes this new, self-empowered Helena and decides to ask gently the next question. "So you thought maybe the Warehouse could be an ally instead of an enemy?" 

Helena loosens her grip on the desk, and her eyes soften.

"I was beginning to believe so, yes. Mrs. Fredric informed me that upon Valda's death his associations with Macpherson were revealed. Also while it was common knowledge that Valda had been researching Warehouse 2 for years, the Regents discovered his obsession with locating it was tied to one particular object - a statue of Osiris that was purported to bring back the dead. In light of this, my unbronzing became not only tied to Macpherson's scheme, but Valda’s personal agenda as well. Valda would have known I was a Warehouse 2 scholar, and perhaps ventured to believe I could lead him to its location. Macpherson must have indicated to Valda that he did not wish to keep me alive. Therefore, Valda panicked and put his backup plan into play. This involved the use of an artifact on me to find a way to bring back his daughter."

Even for Myka, this is a lot of information to process. She sits still, listening intently to Helena, filtering through plausibility scenarios.

“At this point I had to ask myself, could Valda still be alive? It was certainly possible. Could he have used an artifact to _find_ an artifact that would lead him to what he most desired, which in turn was the same as what I most desired? This was the issue.”

Helena crosses her arms firmly and leans back further into the desk. She looks at Myka with interest.

Myka speaks up. “Helena, this is not only complicated, but sounding kinda crazy. Even for you. Mrs. F was on board with this?"

"Stay with me Myka…,” Helena says with a small smile.

Her mind is spinning too, but she feels compelled to reel this in properly now that it's beginning to wind down.

“Valda assumed ‘whammying’ me would lead him right to what he wanted, an artifact that could bring back his daughter. In my recently unbronzed haze, it would not have be difficult to convince me to ‘desire’ an artifact that would bring back Christina. He could have easily riled me up to the point of begging for her return, and then ‘allowed' me to use the artifact. Unfortunately, it did not work instantaneously. I’ve ascertained it stays active until the object of desire is found and remains in constant search mode otherwise. Valda learned this fact in Egypt, when he spied my notebook and determined I was still of use to him. He understood I might lead him to an artifact he could use. He has kept me under surveillance ever since."

“Wait…….why didn't it lead you to the Osiris artifact then; the one you said was in Warehouse 2?” Myka blurts out, thinking this fact could debunk all of Helena’s elaborate deductions.

“I've often wondered the same thing. My best guess is that I, unlike Valda, wanted justice for Christina's death, not just her safe return. Valda, in comparison, wanted to be relieved of his guilt. They are two totally different requests. You of all people know how picky wishing artifacts can be about specifics. "

Myka nods her head to that. 

"So you and Mrs. Fredric, you figured this all out, together?” Myka says wide-eyed.

"A great portion of it, yes.” Helena shakes her head. 

" _But_ …..” Myka sounds skeptical, “I know there is more to that sentence, Helena."

Helena concedes. "One day last week I stopped by the apartment to find Valda sitting in the study.”

Helena points at the chair Myka is sitting in.

Myka gasps and looks down at the chair as if it is offensive.

Helena visibly stiffens.

"I moved to throttle him immediately,” she pushes off the desk and her arms motion as to strangle someone’s throat, "but he raised a hand and very calmly stated if anything were to happen to him I’d never find the artifact he used on me. And that it was no use involving the Warehouse, as he knew all of their tricks. He just wanted to let me know that he was watching, but he no interest in harming me, so long as I kept finding artifacts and leaving the drawings somewhere accessible. He had no use for the information beyond what he was explicitly looking for personally. And then he took his leave."

A pensive silence takes over the room.

Helena slumps back onto the edge of the desk. She hangs her head and fingers the edge of her shirt sleeve, barely containing her rage at Valda invading her home.

Myka is quiet, lost in thought. Valda is alive. Valda was here. This is too much.

Then Myka speaks. 

“Helena, I’m— I’m so, so sorry. I don’t know what to say. What are you going to do now?” She does her best to sound apologetic. And she is, but she is honestly overwhelmed with all of this. 

Helena sighs, and lets go of her sleeve.

“I haven’t a clue, Myka. He’s always one step ahead of me. I’d assumed I’d just go on as I am and lose myself in all of this 'book nonsense' until I've figured something out.” She looks across the room, ruminating over what the future might hold.

Myka takes in the sight of Helena, leaning on the desk, staring off into space. She looks down at her lap, where she’d forgotten Helena’s notebook full of Regent research is still perched. She contemplatively fingers the edge of the book, and she decides that yes, yes she is satisfied, for the moment, with Helena’s explanation of events, but she wants to keep her talking. She's curious about _this_ Helena, the one standing in front of her right now, the one thinking about the future.

She looks up from the notebook toward Helena.

"Actually how _did_ you get involved so heavily in all of this 'book nonsense’? You said you were using it as a cover while researching the Regents, but it obviously has grown way beyond that. Didn't you use to say it was you who had the ideas, but that Charles was the writer? When did that change?"

Helena snaps out of her haze and turns to address Myka,

“As I had ample time on my hands while managing the Astrolabe, I decided I would give it a try. I became somewhat obsessed with the process when it became a tool in my quest to thwart Valda.” Despite the gravity contained in the content of her words, her tone is conversational.

“Once I began, I realized no matter how brilliant my ideas might have been in the past, I relied heavily on Charles to place structure upon them. While he would not have been nearly as successful without me, I would not have recorded my ideas to the degree in which he was capable. I was far too impatient in my own time, and too grief stricken after Christina, to complete such a laborious task on my own. My energies were focused on creating tangible visions of the future, objects, and machines. Words, to me, were too plebeian.”

Her eyes are distant, lost in memories. She blinks, then looks toward Myka, realizing she has been hanging on her every word. 

Helena continues, “Currently, I've found writing helps me come to terms with my own mortally and facilitates a better understanding of the life I've been thrust into today. And this device called a laptop computer is a godsend.” Helena smiles ever so slightly.

Myka thinks she can understand all of that.

"But unknown to bestseller?"

Helena raises an eyebrow. “Myka, I’ve inadvertently stumbled upon a volume filled with photographs of felines called _Bad Cat_ that purports itself a New York Times best seller. This title is not that difficult to attain."

Myka grimaces playfully, throwing Helena a “that’s not what I meant” look. 

Helena concedes and attempts to explain.

"You might be surprised what one can learn about 'the business' from overhearing conversations in such places as coffee shops, book launches, restaurants and the like. Once one learns the players, one can play the game rather efficiently. It then becomes rather easy to place oneself in the 'right place at the right time.’ Honestly, things in that respect seem to have changed very little from my day, although results can be come by much quicker.” Helena seems to relax somewhat at this admission.

Myka narrows her eyes, not quite buying what Helena has just said. She knows what “playing the game” means, especially when Helena is involved. There must be more to the story. There is no doubt her mind that if Helena wants something badly enough, she will manipulate those around her in order to insert herself into or maneuver herself out of just about any situation. She decides she needs to ask something perhaps a bit too personal but thinks it's best just to get everything on her mind out and in the open right now.

“So is Giselle one of those people that helped you get your book deal? What does she think of you apartment?"

Helena's face drops, and she involuntarily jerks forward, gripping the edge of the desk hard to keep herself from falling over. She then settles back, mouth open, wearing a look of disbelief.

“How do _you_ know about Giselle?” Helena blurts out almost unintelligibly.

Myka sighs, weighing the options of dropping the subject entirely or continuing onward and telling her the truth. For better or worse she decides the latter. “I— er….well, one day while I was sitting in the waiting room for my chemo treatment at the hospital I absently flipped through a magazine. I don't know which one, it was one of those gossipy rags. Anyway, I saw a picture of you and her looking, well, um, really close at some event. The caption read 'Model slash actress Giselle and gal pal, author Emily Lake, cozy up'." 

Helena is now almost hyperventilating, eyes wider than possible, hand over mouth.

Myka watches as Helena teeters on the verge of a meltdown, one that she is just now realizing she won’t be able to stop. She thinks that, in hindsight, _right now_ may not have have been the best time to bring up the subject of Giselle.

“No..no..no..nonononononono NO.”

Helena turns and slams her fists on the desk. She swings her arms across, forcefully pushing all of the contents within her reach onto the floor. Falling to her knees, her head drops onto the desk, arms folding on top as if to hide.

“Not that way. Never that way. You shouldn’t have had to……,” she whimpers into the desk, glassy-eyed.

Myka jerks back in her chair as the contents of the desk fly through the air. Startled but not necessarily surprised by Helena’s action, she decides she needs to see this though.

"But I did, Helena. I did. So I know. I’m sorry.”

Myka tilts her head to the side, her face showing empathy. Her eyes linger over Helena’s rumpled form as she raises a hand to cover her mouth. Just then, a sadness overcomes her, both for herself and Helena. She nearly moves to Helena’s side to comfort her but holds herself back.

Helena lifts her head up and places her arms on the desk. With watery eyes she shakily says to the back of the desk, “Myka there is no need for _you_ to be sorry, when _I_ am to blame. I am _always_ to blame."

She turns her head to address Myka directly, "Why is it that my presence on this earth only ever causes you pain?"

Myka winces. Even if, at this moment, she wants to agree with Helena, yell at her even, she knows she can’t leave the conversation there. No, she thinks, _no_ , she does not want to leave the conversation there because then this whole evening will have been for naught. She needs to turn this around, and quickly.

After an expectant pause, she says frankly, "Why don’t we start fixing that right now?"

Helena turns the rest of her body around and slides down the desk until she is sitting on the floor. As her head tilts back, her eyes close momentarily as she swallows.

 _This_ was not the answer she expected from Myka.

She has been waiting patiently the entire evening to be berated with a laundry list of her misdeeds and failures, to be put in her place, to be told she's crossed the line so completely that there is no way of repairing the damage. And after that she will watch Myka walk out the door and never look back.

But _this_? This changes everything. She takes a deep breath and looks directly at Myka.

“Myka, _you_ are the _only_ person I’ve ever brought this apartment. And _you_ , Myka, are the _only_ person I’ve ever loved since being awakened in this century. Or perhaps any century. _You_ and only _you_.”

She is now breathing fast and hard.

"I love you with all that I am, Myka Ophelia Bering. Please….believe………….me…….."

Helena’s eyes slam shut as her head falls back heavily. Her face strains and she struggles to stand. Using the desk for leverage, she turns and pulls herself up. Once upright, she hastily put pen paper and begins to draw. 

Myka sits in a momentary fog, working out how to respond to Helena's confession. Once she notices Helena clearly in need of aid, she hurries to help. As she stands, the notebook, still on her lap, falls to the floor with a thud.

By the time she reaches Helena, she is already vertical. Myka stares transfixed as Helena’s hand forms an image on the page. Once completed, Myka reaches over and picks up the paper.

“Helena, I— I know what this is…...Pete bought it for me at a thrift store for a retrieval; he thought it’d cheer me up,”

Myka reveals this revelation with an avid fascination though her voice is soft.

Helena has been using every ounce of strength she has to stay standing. She suddenly wavers.

Myka drops the drawing and instinctively moves to prop her up. 

Myka takes hold of Helena’s upper arms to stabilize her, rotating her so that they are facing each other.

For a split second, Myka holds Helena at arm's length, taking in the entirety of her being as if deciding what to do next. She then pulls Helena towards her, and into her arms.

Helena leans tensely against Myka for several moments, unsure of how to react. Slowly, she lifts her arms to encircle Myka, sinking ever further into the taller woman’s form. She absorbs Myka’s warmth and strength, and it begins to fill her with hope.

Myka feels Helena’s body melting into her, of Helena letting go.

They stand motionless, locked in this all-consuming embrace, for a long while.

Nearly inaudibly, in a fragile voice that sounds like it might break, Myka says into Helena’s ear "I love you too, Helena George Wells.” 

Myka breaks the hug and leads Helena by the hand into the bedroom.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is anything we’ve leaned from Instinct, its that Myka has no filter where Helena is concerned. She pretty much just blurts out whats on her mind. Sometimes, this can lead to dramatics on Helena’s part as Helena tends to fall apart under pressure.
> 
> I'd mentioned in a comment earlier that my artifacts he'd a theme, but I broke my own rule in this chapter. Myka's fault again....
> 
> Oh and also, in terms of book deals, money and talent are also good things to have. Helena just assumes both come along with the territory.


	6. *six*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levity. I know, its time. I realize now I need to give you all a little bit of "something" after all that I put you though in the last few chapters. So let’s lighten things up here for just a spell. There is more Myka here than Helena, but she needs a minute to get from Point A to Point B. And I promise, we will get to Point B sooner than you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re: Giselle…...I had the idea of “the” Gisele, the super model/actress, being a peer of Helena's. But I wanted to write her more of “a” Giselle (spelled a little differently than the real Gisele B), a woman who is a semi-famous model/actress, someone working her way up in the ranks, just like Helena would be doing whenever they met. I hope that makes sense to everyone. I thought it’d be more fun as the character would be free to do as she wished.
> 
> So my Giselle is French, not Brazilian, and I picture her looking like an amalgamation of [Irma Vep](http://www.videodromeatl.com/storage/8418925864_d064a51fc3_z.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1381445561785) (more) and [Miss Kittin](http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Kittin.jpg) (less), but with Miss Kittin’s thick [accent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAHqdyb33hQ). I’ve tried to portray that accent here, and things get perhaps a bit silly but I’ve decided to stick to my guns and see what you all think (-note- I toned it down here for readability but left it in its original form over on my [tumblr](http://beatricethecat2.tumblr.com/post/113815409814/persistence-of-vision-6)). Plus I’m super curious about how Giselle and Helena meet, but I’ll have to hash that out another day. There are many fics that feature Giselle as a positive force in Helena's life and I would like to continue that tradition.
> 
> \-------------------------

Myka enters the bedroom first. 

The dark space is unfamiliar to her, but the ambient light from the windows is bright enough to barely make out the forms of furniture. She spies the bed and pulls Helena towards it. 

They stop for a moment as Myka decides how to proceed. Temporarily releasing Helena's hand, she clears some papers and clothes off of the bed's surface.

Helena stands motionless right where Myka left her, head down, eyes closed. 

Myka turns and leads Helena to the bed.

Helena slowly leans over then falls on top in a heap. 

Myka sits, then moves to lie down next to her. She maneuvers Helena onto her side and wraps her arms around her protectively, spooning her from behind. 

Helena's body goes limp. She begins to sob silently. 

Myka rakes a hand through Helena's hair for a few minutes, methodically placing errant strands behind her ear. She then places her head in the crook of Helena’s neck and hugs her tightly.

Mentally and physically exhausted, both women fall into a deep sleep, fully clothed.

\-------------------------------

A gentle vibrating sensation on her upper thigh awakens Helena from her slumber. She barely registers the feeling though it's been occurring intermittently for quite some time. Only recently has it reached a point of irritation that demands prompt action. 

The incessant buzzing lies beyond Myka's arm, currently draped over Helena's torso. She gingerly reaches a hand over Myka’s elbow and pulls her phone out of her pocket.

Myka doesn't stir. She continues to hold Helena closely from behind. 

Helena lifts the device to determine who could be rude enough to disturb her at this ungodly hour. Not yet able to focus on the screen, she taps the big green button to answer the call, and then moves it closer to her ear.

“….hel—lo?" Helena barely manages to croak out.

An agitated voice instantaneously replies.

“EMILY! Where the BLOODY HELL ARE YOU? Why are you not at the hotel? Do you have ANY idea what time it is? You are extremely late. MORE late than your usual extremely late. I've been calling for OVER an HOUR! Tell me where the bloody hell you are and I'll have a car there in ten minutes. TEN MINUTES, EMILY! God help me you if are in Brooklyn again, I may just send a helicopter….."

Helena yawns.

The yelling on the other end of the phone rouses Myka. Blinking sleepily, she raises her head and looks quizzically at Helena. 

Myka begins to slide her arm off of Helena’s torso, but Helena grabs her wrist to keep it firmly in place. She lets go briefly to change hands with her phone. She then rolls onto her back towards Myka. Her newly freed hand takes hold of Myka’s hand, now resting on Helena's stomach. She gives it a squeeze and shoots Myka a sleepy but loving glance. 

Myka returns the look.

Satisfied that Myka isn't going anywhere, Helena turns away slightly to attend to the phone. 

Myka settles back down onto the bed, a crooked smile spreading over her face. She relaxes into Helena’s body and closes her eyes.

Helena takes a deep breath and attempts to be more cognizant.

\---------------------

“All right. Calm down,” Helena says to the woman on the other end of the phone.

Her head is a bit fragile at the moment, a combination of the emotional turmoil, lack of sleep, and alcohol consumed last night. She closes her eyes, which helps a little, and after a deep sigh she continues.

"I’m downtown if you must know.”

She opens her eyes.

“But I am not leaving the premises. Tell whomever wherever I'm meant to be that I will not be attending. Inform them I'm violently ill. Food poisoning or….something….I don’t know. I have faith that you can sort this out."

Myka lets out a tiny sound of amusement.

Helena can almost feel Myka smirking. 

The phone voice responds.

“Oh, no, no,no,nonononoooo you don’t, can _not_ do this to me today, Emily. Not. To. Day. Not this sort of nonsense. We are talking about LIVE NATIONAL TELEVISION, Emily, the bloody Today Show. Millions of people will be watching. You are meant to do an interview AND a bolloxing cooking segment. Also today you are a guest on Ellen, as she's taping her show in New York this week. Then later you are talking with Charlie Rose. I scheduled them all on the same day so you could, in your words, ‘please the masses in one fell swoop’."

Helena responds. Her voice has now lost its sleepy tone.

“I see. Right. Well. What _you_ fail to understand about _all_ of this is that I care very little about any of these listed things. I do not need them nor do I desire to participate. There must be countless other interested parties just chomping at the bit to ‘please the masses'. I’m positive they can find a replacement in an instant."

Helena scowls into the phone.

Myka overhears every word hurled at Helena, inadvertently learning all of her destinations for the day. She slowly opens her eyes and props her head up with an arm, all the while keeping her hand entwined with Helena’s. 

Helena notices Myka is awake and turns in her direction. 

Their eyes meet.

Helena moves the phone away from her ear as the person on the other end is still talking. Her arm and the phone drop to her lap. She then lets go of the phone entirely and sits up a little to give Myka her full attention. 

“Helena…,” Myka says with an earnestness that makes Helena’s heart melt, "I think you have to do this. I mean….television. LIVE national television. Please don’t cancel just because I’m here. It's probably best not to rock the boat? We can meet up later, I promise." 

Helena's eyes narrow.

“What? Why not? I repeatedly have made it very clear to everyone involved in this 'book business' that I am under no obligation to be paraded around on television like a trained dog _unless_ they have my explicit permission. I _am_ free to do as I please." 

As Helena's fury rises, she frowns. 

Myka thinks Helena's grumpy expression is impossibly adorable. Her slightly hung-over eyes, tousled bedhead, dry parted lips, and unhinged demeanor together are all altogether endearing. The thought crosses Myka’s mind that she wants to kiss away all of Helena's anger and frustration. She’s unsure whether she should or not, but she decides not to fight the urge. Not after last night. 

She unlaces their fingers and places her hand on Helena’s jaw. She then leans in and pulls Helena’s head closer until their lips touch. 

Helena stills.

A split second later her brain registers that Myka is kissing her, _right now_. Once acknowledged, Helena leans further into the kiss and reaches out to gently run a hand through Myka’s short curls.

A few seconds later they break for air.

Myka leans back. Her grin is blinding.

Helena is dumbstruck.

The intensity between them builds until a tiny voice interrupts them.

“Emily? EMILY? Are you there? Pick up the bloody phone this instant……"

Helena looks down at the device as if she’s never seen it before.

Myka says, “put it on speakerphone,” and nods toward the phone.

The moment is irreparably broken.

Helena picks up the phone and sets it on speakerphone. She shakes her head to confirm its ready to go.

Myka looks at Helena and starts to speak. “OK. Look. From what I can tell you are already on the schedule for these shows that means you’ve already given your permission at some point in the past. Wouldn't you say that's correct, um, person on the other end of the phone who's name I don't know?"

“Rachel,” Myka hears the now less tiny voice say.

“Isn’t that right, Rachel,” Myka says towards the phone.

“Yes,” says Rachel.

“Helena?” Myka says to Helena.

Helena gives Myka a firm stare, her expression that of amused defeat. She scoops up the phone, takes it off of speaker, and raises it to her ear.

“Rachel….."

“Emil-....er….Helena. Who IS that woman? I heard her use your real name. Is she the one you were drooling over at the book signing yesterday? If so you have really sunken to a new low….,” Rachel says coldly.

“That,” Helena counters frostily, "is none of your concern."

Rachel continues only half listening. “….having said that she seems to be on my side in this matter, so I am inclined to like her straight away. Now DO what the nice lady in your bed instructs and fulfill your obligations. The car will be there in a few minutes."

Helena looks at Myka pleadingly. 

Myka gives Helena a “hurry up” look.

“Fine,” says Helena.

“Finally,” says Rachel. “Now hand your phone to your ‘friend.'"

“What! Why?"

“Just do it Emi…..Helena, just do it."

She hands the phone to Myka then shrugs. 

Myka takes the phone and pushes Helena out of the bed.

Helena stumbles as she exits legs still shaky from sleep. She throws Myka a playful scowl and heads for the restroom.

Myka smiles then raises the phone up to her ear. 

"Hello?” she says shakily.

“Could you _please_ give me an address of where to send the car?" 

“I— ,“ she puts had hand over the receiver part of the phone and yells, “Helena? Where should she send the car?"

Helena, mouth full of toothpaste, shouts the answer back.

Myka relays the coordinates. 

“Thank you. Can you also make sure she gets into the car as soon as it arrives?” Rachel says brusquely.

“Um, yeah sure?” Myka says apprehensively.

There is a pause.

“I’m sorry if I seem rude, but I’ve worked very hard to organize this trip. Whoever you are you seem to understand more than most that Emi…. _Helena_ actually has a job to do as _Emily_ , which involves not lying in bed all day.”

Rachel's tone lightens but is still stern.

“And I’m sorry but I don’t believe I know your name."

"Its Myka." 

“Well, thank you— Myka."

Rachel hangs up.

Helena tries to stall, but Myka makes sure she gets out the door as soon as the car arrives.

Once Helena is gone, Myka climbs back into bed, curls up under the covers, and falls fast asleep.

\----------------------------

Myka doesn't wake until 1PM. 

When she rises, she decides to take a shower but realizes after the fact that she has no clean clothes. Wearing just a towel, she crosses the study to the bedroom and rummages through Helena's drawers. She steals some clean underwear and socks and hopes to find a t-shirt that might fit. She then pulls on the pants she wore last night and is ready to start her day.

Helena relayed to Myka earlier the fact that she only owns one set of keys, so Myka makes sure they are placed securely in her pocket before heading out to get some lunch. She bounds down the stairs and out into the street.

It's a lovely day, not too hot or cold, and the sky is blue. Helena's neighborhood is grungy but, she supposes, charming in its own way. 

At a cafe she orders a latte and a sandwich and sits alone next to a bright window, unconsciously relaxing into her seat. She closes her eyes for a minute and feels like a cat lounging in the sun. As the minutes pass, she can feel her body decompress. Days, maybe years of pent up anxiety, pain, self-doubt and guilt seem to fall from her limbs.

"Helena’s got the right idea," she thinks because in this city, at this very moment, she is anyone, everyone. Strip away the Warehouse, artifacts, and other commitments and she’s just a woman sitting, thinking, drinking coffee, existing. She’s completely forgotten this feeling. Or maybe she’s never actually felt _this_ in her life before. Its a tie between the two.

Her thoughts turn to last night. Helena's detailed explanation of her situation before and after the Astrolabe was beyond Myka's wildest expectations. And Helena actually said out loud “I love you" though she was under much duress. 

And this morning things were…..good? No. "Nice," Myka thinks. In bed together, things were _nice_. A faint smile crosses her lips. Maybe if she wishes really hard things will stay that way though she doubts it. 

Shaking her head, she decides to not let that last thought spoil her mood. 

With a coffee to go in hand, she heads back to the apartment. 

Before sweeping Helena out the door this morning, Myka asked if she might, at this point, feel comfortable involving others from the Warehouse in her affairs. Myka thought bringing Claudia in on the situation would be a big help since Mrs. Fredric was already on board. 

Helena agreed. 

"Maybe I’ll give Claud a call when I get back to the apartment," she thinks.

She left her cell phone behind on purpose, as Pete had been texting her nonstop since yesterday. This morning she sent him a quick “I’m fine, Pete" reply, hoping he’d back off. She loves him to death, but he seriously needs to chill. 

She sighs.

Real life awaits her once she gets in touch with the Warehouse, and she’d hopes she's caffeinated enough to handle all of Claudia’s questions.

\----------------------------

Upon arrival at Helena’s apartment, she mulls over the idea of a quick nap but decides to text Claudia first.

Myka's Farnsworth buzzes immediately.

Started by the sound, she grabs her bag. The device is tucked under her wallet at the bottom. She digs through and pulls it out. 

Upon opening, she is greeted with Claudia’s expectant face.

“Mykes! Tell me everything. Did you see H.G?"

“And hello to you too Claud,” Myka says with a hint of sarcasm.

“Well, then, to what do I owe this call? We thought you’d shut us out after your text to Pete this morning.” Claudia says, feigning mock insult.

“Yeah, uh, tell him I’m sorry about that.” 

“No problamo, Mykes. Will do. I told him you were fine that you were probably _busy_."

Myka rolls her eyes.

Claudia sees she’s getting no gossip out of Myka just yet.

“OoKaaay…..moving on. So, what's up?”

Claudia settles down a bit.

Myka gets right to it.

“Listen, H.G. needs our help……”

\-------------------

Myka then tries, as efficiently as possible, to bring Claudia up to speed. 

Claudia, in turn, stops her to ask questions at every moment possible. 

Finally, Myka gives up. 

“OK Claud, I’m walking across the apartment and I’m just going to show you.” 

Myka waves the Farnsworth around the study. She can hear Claudia gasp though its tiny speaker.

“Holy moly....Myka, that looks totally _insane_ from my side. Is it totally _insane_ on your side?" Claudia exclaims. 

"Yeah, it is Claud. It really is."

“I— I need to come there. We need to cross-reference all this stuff and figure out how to help H.G. And she should see Dr. Calder, and talk to Abigail, and…..."

"Claud slow down! We need to ask H.G......and,” Myka sighs, “probably Artie." 

Claudia disagrees.

"No no no no, I don't think so. From all of what you just said? H.G. wants, no, _needs_ our help. And if she doesn't, well too bad. And Artie, he'll cave in no time. Anyway, I'm Caretaker now so I get to say what's important.” Claudia exudes enthusiasm. 

"Ok, Claud. I just don't want to scare her away again." 

"It will be ok. I think she needs this Mykes. She needs us." 

Myka’s not sure about that but nods her head anyway.

"Make the arrangements and I'll talk to her." 

Myka closes the Farnsworth and pleads to a higher power, “Please let this work out……"

\---------------------------

Myka has some time to kill before meeting up with Helena later, so she returns to her hotel room.

Upon arrival, she plunks down on the bed and picks up the book from the nightstand. Talking to Claudia about Helena’s condition has her worried, so she tries to relax by reading a little. About fifteen minutes later, she drifts off into a light sleep. She rouses herself just in time to get dressed before heading out to meet Helena.

Earlier today, Helena decided they should meet at the hotel where she usually stays “when she is in New York”, and gave Myka the address and room number. 

The hotel is maybe twenty minutes away, so Myka decides to walk. She stops on the way for a bite to eat.

When she arrives, Myka notes the place is upscale in decor but distinctly downtown in clientele. This causes her to feel less nervous about entering.

Once inside the lobby, she asks at the front desk if there is a key waiting for her left by "H.G. Wells".

There is. The clerk hands her a key card and flashes her a knowing smile.

His look is puzzles Myka. She takes the card and heads to the elevators. She decides the somewhat devilish grin the clerk just gave her must be related to Helena's pseudonym.

When Myka is out of earshot, the clerk elbows his coworker and says "that Ms. Lake…er, ‘H.G. Wells’, sure has good taste in women!"

The co-worker looks up questioningly.

The clerk continues, “She's got _two_ super hot ladies meeting her up there right now...."

\------------------------

Myka takes the elevator up to Helena's suite. She walks down the hall and slides her keycard into the slot. She opens the door and immediately sets down her bag. She stands by the door and takes in the room.

Everything is white and minimal. There is a large entryway room with a leather couch and matching chairs with a glass coffee table. A side table with glass decanters and glasses resides next to a back wall that holds a door to another room. A bucket is perched on the side table and is filled with ice.

Fresh ice.

Myka thinks that seems strange as she didn’t think Helena would be back so soon. But then again maybe she has assistants to assistants who’s job it is to keep ice buckets filled no matter what the situation.

She is startled out of her thoughts by a figure wafting into the room, moving towards the decanter area without having looked in her direction.

It speaks as it pours itself a fresh drink.

“Emellee, I zought you will never come! I have beeen waiting for……"

As the figure turns to face the person it assumes is Emily, it stops mid-sentence.

Upon sight of the stranger who is definitely _not_ Emily, it demands, "who zee hell are yooo?"

Myka stares wide-eyed, mouth slightly open, at the person standing across the room from her. 

The person glares back. 

Before Myka offers an answer, her mind maps the totality of the woman already inhabiting Helena’s room. Her silky black hair is up in a loose bun. A speculative yet stern look plays on her feminine yet handsome face. Her features are vaguely Asian, but her rather heavy accent is maybe French? Something like French Myka thinks. French French, not Canadian French….like, European. An elegant trail of tattooed stars travels up the left back side of her neck. She is wearing the thinnest of silk robes, a lacy bra, and a thong. Her feet are bare. Her stance is more goddess than human. She’s obviously rather comfortable wearing very little at all.

In an effort to stop staring, Myka looks down at her shoes. She breathes out and rubs the back of her neck nervously for a minute. Her brain is stuck whirling through a million thoughts. She knows that she knows who this person is, but who is this person?

Then a lightbulb goes off. Her head shoots up, and she looks straight at the woman.

“Oh."

Myka’s face lights up. Her eyes widen. She knows the answer to the question that was not being asked.

“OH.” Myka's eyes are now huge.

The woman scowls.

"Oh, sorry. Sorry!" Myka says sort of overexcitedly. 

"I, um, just….uh….you….um… you must be Giselle!"

Myka was so preoccupied worrying about artifacts and curing Helena, and assistants to assistants who might be filling ice buckets, and desk clerks with devilish grins, that she didn’t recognize the woman right away. Most of her internet stalking led to images of Giselle while modeling in full makeup wearing bikinis, catsuits, unicorn costumes, wings…..that sort of fashion attire. She seems entirely different in person, sans makeup and outlandish outfits.

Giselle makes a guttural noise signaling Myka is correct. She looks Myka up and down as if assessing her worthiness of existence on this planet. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was going to be here. Hel—er…..Emily told me to meet her here….does she know you are here too?”

Myka tries to sound apologetic. She thinks this must be some sort of punishment for mentioning Giselle yesterday.

Taking a sip of her drink, Giselle responds over the top of her glass. 

“Emellee never anzers ze phone. If yooo know her, yooo know dat.”

She eyes Myka up and down, calculating who she must be in regards to Emily.

“MMmm. yooo….yooo do NOT loook like one of zees….,” she uses her glass to motion towards invisible people filling the room, "…..zees persons zat work for Emellee. Non. yoooo are zomeone elze…."

Myka blushes. She feels pinned to the wall by this woman’s expectant gaze. She blurts out an answer.

“I……um…HI! I’m Myka. Myka Bering”. Myka says this with a nervous smile and walks over to extend a hand to…..what? Shake Giselle’s hand? 

Giselle looks at the offered hand, then looks up blithely at Myka.

Myka slowly pulls her hand back, shoulders slumping, arms falling by her side.

Giselle’s eyes narrow as she asks, “MyKa? MyKA?” She then raises her brows. "....oh….yoo….yooo are zee MyKa BearING?”

Giselle now looks a bit like a surprised owl. Her standoffishness is waning. As if suddenly realizing she is exposed, she closes her robe and ties the belt. She then crosses her arms in anticipation of a response. 

Myka blinks.

“Ahhh…...yeah. I am me. I mean Myka. Myka Bering”. 

A little bit of tension falls away but is replaced by even more confusion.

Myka cranes her neck slightly and turns her head gently to the side while eyeing Giselle suspiciously. 

"How do you know me?"

Giselle sighs heavily. She glances one of the white modernist chairs and moves to sit, drink in hand.

Myka, spying Giselle’s drink, wishes she had one, too. She also decides to sit and takes the couch.

Giselle speaks.

“I did not believe yooo are…..rrreal.” She sort of rolls her r in a throaty French way and waves her drink at Myka.

“I zought she had made yooo up, just to mess withz me.”

There is a tinge humor in Giselle's voice but is also a hint of possession. 

At this point Myka realizes she is mesmerized by the sing-song way Giselle speaks, so much so that she isn’t actually hearing what she is saying. Her words seem formed as intricate geometries. There is a lag after each sentence where Myka fits the shapes of those words together to form them into a phrase. She realizes she could easily listen to that voice all day. And that Helena probably _has_ listened to that voice all day, and probably _has_ enjoyed it very much. Maybe too much for her liking.

A momentary pang of jealousy swells in Myka and she narrows her eyes. Suddenly the last thing Giselle said kicks in. 

“Wait. What? She talked about me with you? Really?"

“ALL zee time.” Giselle says in a factual tone, sweeping her glass from left to right to emphasize “all". 

“All. of. ze. time. She iz so very in love withz yooo MyKa.” 

She stops waving the glass and settles it on the arm of the chair.

Even though Helena said just as much last night, Myka's not sure she believes Helena could be "so very in love" with her. But the hint of sadness in Giselle’s voice coupled with the expression on her face convinces Myka that what Giselle has just said is sincere. 

Giselle pauses, then leans forward and asks, “Do yooo…….”

Myka unconsciously angles towards Giselle. 

"....doo yooo love her, too, myKa?" 

In an instant Myka's face changes from thoughtful to serious. She runs her hand through her curls, rubs the back of her neck, and looks across the room. 

"Don't deny it, Myka," she thinks. "Not after everything you went through. You came all this way to see her, to work things through. Just say it." 

She takes a deep breath then lets it out.

“Yes,” she says somewhat softly into the distance.

Her hand moves to the front of her throat, and downcast eyes travel to Giselle’s feet.

“Yes, I do.”

There’s a pause, wheels turning in Myka’s brain.

She looks up, straight at Giselle. Her hand drops.

"Very much."

And Myka realizes, at this moment, that she does, indeed, very much, love Helena. And that this is the first time she's ever really, truly felt this...this sort of unconditional love. It's totally exhilarating and completely terrifying at the same time. 

Myka’s tone relaxes a bit.

"I'm so sorry if me saying that hurts you….I didn't mean to come between you two. To cause you pain. You seem really nice and I....."

Giselle cuts her off.

“Pffft. Yoo did not. Zis iz not your worry," she says waving her hand. “I travel a lot for my workz. We made no promisez, Emelee and I. We are useful to each others in ze times when we both needed someone. It is O.K. We always had much fun.” 

Giselle gives Myka a genuine grin.

"I am happy for her that yooo are real and yoo arr here now." 

Myka, befuddled by this whole meeting, actually feels some weird sense of resolve.

“O.K. I will go now. There are otherz I will call on," Giselle says with a wink.

She stands up, walks behind Myka, and puts her hand on her shoulders.

Myka stiffens.

“Tell Emelee zat I am happy for her….for yooo two. And tell her too beHAVE! We so few get what we want in zis life. Enjoy it." 

Unbeknownst to Myka, Giselle then bites her bottom lip, heavyhearted.

She then off then walks off towards the bedroom.

Myka rises to pour herself a drink.

\----------------------

Ten minutes or so pass, and Giselle emerges from the bedroom, dressed in stylish street clothes and wearing some impossibly high heels. Her hair is down, and her makeup is on. She is not quite the woman from the pictures on the Internet, but much closer. Myka sees how much of her mask was dropped earlier. Having said that, she looks just as imposing clothed as unclothed.

Giselle grabs her coat and bag from a closet near the entryway door.

Myka suddenly realizes she hasn't taken her coat off this entire time. 

Not knowing what exactly to do now, Myka feels compelled to rise from the couch to say goodbye to this woman she rather awkwardly just met.

Giselle is obviously more accustomed to this kind of situation and seems to have no trouble finding the words to signal her leave.

“MyKa, it waz very nice tooo meet yoooo in de flesh. I wish yooo much happyiness." she says with a practiced smile.

She then kisses Myka on both checks and is gone before Myka can muster a response.

\---------------------

Myka stands staring at the door for a few minutes before deciding she should probably sit back down on the couch. She picks her drink up from the coffee table, takes a sip, then cradles it in her hands. 

“That was……,” she begins to deconstruct in her mind the events that just happened. “I….I don’t really know what that was."

\--------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK so here we are. Things will heat even more up very soon. I just wanted to say this next chapter may take a little longer than the last few to put up as it will be sort of nsfw-ish and that means I can't edit it at work either, so please be patient! Also, I need to do more actual work at work this week. But I will update soon, I promise.
> 
> Also: Rachel = young Emily Blunt, of course.


	7. *seven*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Giselle earlier causes Myka to be bold once Helena arrives, but she's not so sure she's doing the right thing. Is it too soon? Or, perhaps, not soon enough? Its up to her to decide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said before fitting the canon into my plot was hard, but this….getting these two together…might even be harder. To be honest I almost punked out and left the details vague, but since I’ve come this far I figured I’d be doing myself a disservice by not giving it a go. I've also realized I'm definitely a mechanic and not a poet, so I am just letting it come out however it does and hoping that it works. You'll see what I mean.
> 
> If you _are_ into sexy times, well, keep reading.
> 
> If you are *not* into sexy times, skip the second half (after the flashback) and move on to the next chapter which is pretty darn fluffy + all of the Warehouse ladies (-Mrs. F) are in the house. 
> 
> \-----------------------

The last function of the day has run later than expected causing Helena to rush out. She was told it was _imperative_ she attends this meet and greet with the mayor, as his daughters just _loved_ her book, and the publishers believe some "face time" would help in obtaining expedited film permits. She is exhausted beyond measure and passes out the second she falls into her car. The twenty minute ride to the hotel is over in an instant. 

She traverses the length of the lobby in a state of half sleep. While waiting for the elevator she shakes her head vigorously in an effort to snap out of it. Myka should be waiting for her upstairs, and she wants to try at least to hold a coherent conversation. 

The lift arrives in no time at all, and soon she is fumbling to insert her keycard to open the door. Upon entering the room, she spots Myka, lost in thought, sitting on the couch, holding a glass. 

“Hello darling," she says as cheerfully as she can muster.

Forced out of her brooding, Myka turns towards Helena but stays seated.

Helena removes her coat and throws it on a chair. She places her bag on a table near the door, then swings around to face Myka.

"I'm terribly sorry to be arriving at this late hour. My schedule was absolutely relentless today. I am certain Rachel plans my days this way to punish me for…..,” Helena is blabbing a bit. She’s been looking forward to seeing Myka again all day, but now that Myka is in front of her she’s quite nervous.

Myka eyes the figure before her suspiciously. This woman, _Helena_ , is the one she woke up in bed with this morning. Yet looking at her now, in this room, she feels like she’s never actually met this person before. _This_ Helena is not the same Helena, or rather _H.G. Wells_ , that Myka has held in her head all these years. _This_ is the woman a scantily clad Giselle was waiting to meet. _This_ Helena exists in time and space beyond the Warehouse and is the sum of all her 150 years. She decides she wants to, no _needs_ to learn everything about _this_ Helena. 

Meanwhile, Helena’s banter is slowly turning into a rant "...and those bloody programs, telling one what they may and may not say and do on live television….”

Myka hasn’t been listening.

"Helena?" She says in Helena’s direction. 

Helena abruptly stops talking. She walks over and leans on the back of the couch near Myka. “Yes, darling?” She now sees Myka is clearly troubled by something. 

Myka lowers her eyes and fidgets with the glass in her hands. 

Helena's stomach drops when Myka doesn’t answer right away. “Myka, are you all right? Did something happen? Are you feeling ill?” 

Myka eventually responds. “Helena…..” eyes still cast downwards as she slides a finger along the edge of her glass. "Last night, when you said you loved me, did you really mean it?” 

Helena gives Myka a firm yet tender look. Her eyes light up.

“Yes.” She moves around the couch to sit next to Myka. Using the most sincere voice she can muster, she says. “Every. Word."

Myka raises her head and angles it towards Helena. "Are you…..I mean, would you say…..that you—you are in love _with_ me?" She drops her head again after she says "me."

Helena reaches to tilt Myka’s chin up, just enough to direct Myka's eyes toward her. She then slides her hand over to lovingly cradle Myka’s jaw. 

Myka leans into Helena's touch, closing her eyes for a moment. She then opens them and looks directly at Helena. 

Helena proclaims, “I am _ever_ so hopelessly in love with you, my dear.” Her eyes are filled with adoration, her smile, luminous. 

For a moment, Myka is seeing stars. She mouths, "...O....K.......," and gets lost in Helena's eyes.

As the seconds pass, Myka's expression hardens. She wants proof. “Ok then show me. Show me how much you love me, Helena."

Helena's smile recedes, and she pulls back slightly. Her hand falls from Myka’s jaw. “I—," her mouth hangs open. Words escape her. She pauses while mulling over how to respond properly to Myka’s request.

Helena's hesitation causes Myka's thoughts to turn again to Giselle, the half-naked, beautiful woman who was waiting for Helena just moments ago. She tries to convince herself that Helena isn't secretly wishing Giselle, rather than her, was here in the room right now, or that later, would be in her bed. Because that’s where Myka wants this to go right? She wants to be the one in Helena's bed. Myka wants to be seduced. She wants to be on the receiving end of Helena's flirty banter, the innuendo, the charged looks she's practically grown to expect from the Helena she knew. She wants to be wanted, _desired_ even. And she wants it _now_.

All of the sudden she realizes it _was_ only yesterday that they met again after almost a year of no contact. She instantly becomes terrified at the forthrightness she sees herself exhibiting. But then she remembers the tender kiss they shared this morning and decides she is not going to let her nor Helena's self-doubts get in the way of what she wants.

Helena has yet to give an answer, so Myka speaks her mind. “No excuses, Helena. Not tonight. If you mean what you just said, then show me. Right here, right now." 

Helena wonders what _exactly_ has happened in the last twelve or so hours that has gotten Myka so riled up. She narrows her eyes but doesn't push for details. "Myka, are you sure?"

Myka doesn't respond, but the look she gives Helena indicates she might punch her in the face if she doesn't act quickly. 

Helena removes Myka’s glass from her grip and places it on the coffee table. She then takes Myka’s hand and turns it palm up. She rubs delicate circles with her thumb, then lifts it to her lips and places a light kiss there. All the while she observes Myka through heavy lids.

Myka wants to pounce at Helena's touch but holds herself back. She made the first move yesterday, so today its Helena’s turn. And when Helena kisses her this time it _has_ to feel different than the one she remembers from the past.

\------------------------------

Myka recalls a kiss, years ago, in Egypt.

>   
>  _At the college students’ camp, Pete and Valda were occupied inside one of the tents. Helena and Myka inspected items on a table outside. Myka had just mentioned the fact that one of the boy’s sisters must have been Christina’s age, and Helena agreed showing visible remorse. They soon moved on to investigate the rest of the camp and entered one of the other tents._
> 
> _Once inside, Myka walked over to examine an open suitcase sitting on a cot._
> 
> _Helena followed and stopped to stand closer than usual to Myka._
> 
> _Neither woman said a word while Myka dug through the contents of the suitcase. The gravity of the situation they were about to face had fallen upon them._
> 
> _Helena broke the silence. ”Myka…..," she said in a nearly intimate tone._
> 
> _“Huh?” Myka, lost deeply in thought, was considering the dangers they were about to face. She turned towards Helena and was taken aback by the longing, sadness and grief that shone in Helena’s eyes._  
> 

In hindsight, Myka is certain that Helena completely revealed her soul to her at that moment.

>   
>  _Helena's gaze traveled from Myka's eyes to her lips. Seconds later she stepped in even closer, reaching up to pull Myka’s head down toward her. As their lips touched, Helena’s eyes closed as she let out a low, breathy sound. She moved further into Myka’s body and deepened the kiss, eyes closing tighter._
> 
> _Myka, momentarily in shock, instinctively began kissing Helena back._
> 
> _Myka heard Pete yelling from a distance, “MYKES, H.G., are you two coming or what?”._
> 
> _Myka broke the kiss._
> 
> _Helena stepped back._
> 
> _Myka brought her hand up and ran her fingers over her lips._
> 
> _Eyes on Myka, Helena apologized. "I'm so sorry, Myka.”_
> 
> _They exchanged a heated look._
> 
> _Helena moved first to exit the tent. Her mask soon fell firmly back into place._  
> 

That kiss has haunted Myka ever since. She is certain Helena had doubts that day, that she had already decided not to go through with her plan. She’s almost positive _something_ changed Helena's mind before the memory chamber. Was it somehow her fault? Did mentioning Christina push her over the edge? That kiss, that was the reason she put her life on the line in Yellowstone. In her gut, she’s always believed Helena never wanted to betray her, but she just couldn’t stop herself. She needed Myka to do whatever it took to keep her from destroying the world.

\-----------------------------

And so right now, this very moment, Myka can say with much clarity that the kiss she shared with Helena in Egypt was meant to be a goodbye.

Because this kiss, the one happening right now, is definitely a beginning.

\-----------------------------

Helena’s fingers thread through Myka’s curls, pulling her ever closer as their kisses deepen. She nearly climbs on top of Myka.

Myka’s hands grip Helena’s torso tightly in an effort to keep them both from toppling off the somewhat slippery leather couch. 

Helena notices she has Myka pinned into a corner. Suddenly the couch feels claustrophobic. She disengages and swiftly leads Myka to the bedroom.

They hurry across the room and land in a heap on the bed. Helena navigates so that Myka ends up on top.

Myka lifts herself so that she is straddling Helena, but her arms waver a little. She realizes she’s a bit tipsy from the drink she had earlier, but thinks maybe that's not such a bad thing. She takes a good look at this woman lying beneath her who suddenly appears so small, so vulnerable.

Helena’s hands slide up Myka’s arms. When they reach the top, she pulls Myka's shoulders down.

They fall into a long, languid kiss.

Helena rolls Myka over and lifts herself up, maintaining eye contact the entire time.

Myka traces a line with her finger from Helena’s throat to the first button fastened on her shirt. She gives it a firm tug. 

Helena’s eyebrows raise suggestively. She slowly sits back on her knees and begins undressing.

Myka reaches up and stops Helena's hand from proceeding. She wants to do it. She rises and begins to work nimbly at Helena’s buttons.

Helena leans in to rest her forehead on Myka’s. Her breathing deepens.

Myka pulls back and gingerly slips Helena’s shirt off her shoulders. She takes hold of one arm and pulls off a sleeve and repeats the action on the other, removing the garment entirely. She catches Helena's gaze briefly then her eyes move down to examine Helena's newly exposed skin. Her hand moves to touch lightly Helena’s collarbone, and then it slides to the back of Helena's neck, pulling her closer, eagerly locking lips. Myka’s mouth quickly wanders, trailing kisses down Helena’s throat, stopping when she hits a particularly sensitive spot to give it more attention.

Helena approves by letting out a low moan. She then pushes Myka away and fastidiously works at the hem of Myka's shirt to pull it off. During the process she rather ungracefully falls on top of Myka but quickly resumes consuming Myka's mouth hungrily. 

Myka gasps at the feel of skin on skin, causing Helena to withdraw for a second.

Helena promptly resumes her attentions by focusing the nape of Myka’s neck. She then travels across towards her collarbone, then down to her breastbone. She lingers over the space between Myka’s breasts, angling her eyes up to read Myka’s expression.

Myka’s eyes are closed, and her face is full of pleasure, lips slightly parted. 

Helena backs away, pulling Myka up with her just enough to reach behind and unhook her bra. 

Myka’s eyes go wide when she realizes what is happening. 

Helena notices and halts for a moment, searching Myka’s face for permission. 

Myka’s eyes soften.

Helena continues. Once she’s achieved her goal, she removes her own undergarment in solidarity. She throws the offending item across the room.

Myka’s eyes instinctively travel to view Helena’s freshly uncovered flesh. She feels a stab of embarrassment at ogling Helena, but she can’t help herself.

Encouraged by Myka’s gaze, Helena leans forward causing Myka to lie back. She ravenously takes Myka’s mouth in hers. She slides her tongue inside and a jolt of arousal courses through Myka's veins.

Helena’s hand travels up Myka's torso and over a nipple.

Myka’s breath hitches.

Helena works hard to keep hold of Myka’s mouth, wanting it to be occupied while her hands wander.

Myka’s fingers rake a path down Helena’s spine, coming to rest at the small of her back. 

They continue to explore each others bodies for an indeterminate amount of time. In this glorious state of discovery, every sensation is heightened by the shared need between them. Eventually their movements slow, then still. They stare intensely into each others eyes, chests heaving. Pent up desire radiates off of them like heat waves.

Helena’s eyes blaze a trail down Myka’s half-naked body and halt once they reach clothing. She considers this condition for a second, then reaches for the button on Myka’s pants. As she begins to unfasten the closure, Myka places her hand on top of Helena’s, effectively stopping her from completing the action.

Helena freezes, then lowers herself down while slowly rolling to the side. She props herself up on one arm and takes a minute to assess the situation. In an effort to calm things down, she removes her hand from Myka’s jeans and uses it to comb lightly through Myka’s hair. She notices Myka's eyes are focused on the ceiling, her expression, uncertain.

With gentle concern, Helena asks. “Talk to me, Myka. What’s wrong?” 

“Its just….I—,“ Myka looks away and tries to explain, “I really want this, Helena, I do but— its, its been a _long_ time for me and— and, I’ve never— and you—“

Myka closes her eyes, suddenly feeling inadequate, unworthy. Helena’s done this so many times before and what if she’s not good enough? What if she’s bad at this? This is moving so fast. Maybe too fast. She knows this is what she said she wanted, but maybe she’s been pushing too hard, maybe it's all too soon. Meeting Giselle tonight drove her to force Helena into proving she wanted _her_ more than Giselle, even if Helena doesn’t actually know that’s what’s happening. So maybe she’s doing this for the wrong reasons. She just really doesn’t want to mess everything up.

Helena feels Myka becoming more guarded. She thinks she understands what must be happening, and carefully moves to remedy the situation.

Tenderly placing an errant curl behind Myka’s ear, Helena proclaims, “Myka, we need not move beyond what you are comfortable with tonight. To be with you, like this, is honestly more than I _ever_ imagined possible. If we were to stop right now, right here, _forever_ , I’d be satiated.”

She places a kiss on the top of Myka’s head.

Myka moves away slightly to look at Helena. She narrows her eyes and gives a shaky half smile. “Do you always know just what to say to a girl once they're in your bed?” 

Helena responds with a devilish but loving grin. “Myka, I _am_ serious."

Myka breathes out, “I know.” She takes hold of Helena’s hand and effortlessly laces their fingers together. Pulling it to her lips, she places one short kiss. She's made up her mind.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, I mean, we sort of have already waited _forever_."

The expression Helena wears in response is absolutely sinful. She releases her hand from Myka’s and gently drags it down Myka's stomach towards the button of her jeans. She looks up to secure Myka's approval.

Myka bites her bottom lip and nods in the affirmative. She props herself up on her elbows and watches in fascination as Helena gets to work.

Helena pops the button on Myka's jeans and slowly pulls down the zipper. She slides her fingers under the waistband and decides to take a calculated risk by removing the entirely of Myka’s clothes, including underwear and socks.

Myka doesn’t stop her.

Clothes removed; Helena sits back on her knees, perched on the edge of the bed between Myka’s now bare legs. As she takes in the entirety of the woman lying before her, and she is moved to speak.

“Myka, you are simply ravishing." The desire in Helena’s eyes is blinding.

Myka blushes and turns her head to the side.

Helena removes the last of her own clothes and clambers to hover over Myka, resting one leg rest suggestively between Myka’s thighs. As her eyes wander, she expectantly drinks in the sight of Myka’s sensuous form lying inches beneath her. She catches herself indulging in perhaps inappropriate-for-now thoughts and consciously decides she has to slow things down. Tonight is all about Myka. She has to lead, but Myka eventually must take control. 

Helena runs a hand along the edge of Myka’s brow, then traces a line down her nose to her lips. She runs her fingers over them gently. 

Myka closes her eyes and breathes in deeply through her nose, then exhales. "This is really happening," she thinks.

Helena, now nearly levitating above Myka, places a light kiss on her cheek, then trails all the way down to her neck. Once she hits a pulse point, Myka arches up. 

As their bodies touch fully for the first time, they simultaneously let out a moan of pleasure.

Myka possessively circles her arms around Helena, and they sink back onto the bed together. Myka slides her hands rapidly upwards to thread her fingers through Helena’s hair. She guides their lips together. 

A minute later Helena moves her mouth to begin mapping Myka's adjacent parts. She catches an earlobe between her teeth and Myka softly giggles. Descending further she reaches the curve of Myka's jaw, the crook of her neck, a shoulder, a clavicle, her breastbone. A roaming hand slides down Myka’s ribs to cradle her hip as Helena takes a nipple into her mouth. 

Myka inhales sharply at the sensation and slightly shudders. ”Oh god,” she thinks, “What is she doing to me….” Myka closes her eyes and begins surrender herself to the moment. 

Once Helena’s given proper attention to the immediate area, she lifts herself up and begins kissing Myka deeply again. She slides the hand currently resting on Myka’s hip towards Myka’s inner thigh, where she places teasing light touches for several minutes.

Myka quickly becomes frustrated by Helena’s taunting. She’s decided she deserves this and Helena better step it up. She reaches down and places Helena’s hand exactly where she wants it. Without a second thought, she begins to move rhythmically into Helena's touch.

Helena mimics Myka’s movements, all the while kissing her deeply.

Myka's trust is implicit, her actions come on instinct. She guides Helena's hand even further. 

Helena shudders. “Oh…….Myka,” she growls in a low husky tone.

Myka lets go of Helena’s hand. She closes her eyes even more tightly, focusing solely on the feel of Helena inside of her.

They move perfect synchronicity.

Suddenly, Myka rolls Helena over to straddle her from on top. She wants more, wants Helena to take her over the edge _now_. As the intensity inside her builds, her motions become slower, deeper. 

“God, this is good…..,” Myka’s internal monologue guides the way.

"so good…….."

"I need……."

"I……………….."

"so……………………"

"ne—"

"………………."

Myka breathes in sharply as her body stiffens. Her hands grip the sheets tightly where they sit on the bed. She stills for a moment, overcome by emotion.

When Myka exhales, the entire contents of her lungs escape all at once, causing her to emit a guttural sound she doesn’t immediately recognize as her own. She then rather unceremoniously collapses on top of Helena.

Helena closes her eyes, savoring the feeling of being utterly crushed by the beauteous form lying on top of her. She thinks Myka’s release is easily the most glorious thing she’s ever witnessed. The degree to which Myka just so completely gave herself over is shocking. She feels, for the first time in a very long while, at peace.

\--------------------

Myka rolls off of Helena once she realizes Helena probably can’t breathe. She slowly regains her composure. As she lies on her back, chest heaving, she tries to make sense of what just happened. 

“Wow," she thinks, "just — Wow.” She’s pretty sure she’s never felt anything like that, like _this_ before. She’s completely overwhelmed.

As her breathing begins to slow, her mind makes associations with past experiences in an effort to process what just happened. All too soon her thoughts begin to spiral, and her newly found bliss abruptly becomes tinged with guilt. 

She remembers that the last time she was in bed with someone like this, that someone was Sam. And although she loved him dearly, she will admit things between them were never like _this_. Her feelings for Helena go so far beyond anything she ever felt for Sam. And in turn he never made her feel the way Helena does about herself. She knows it wasn’t his fault, but feels a sadness for him anyway. And the fact that he was murdered, in cold blood, right in front of her, causes her to mourn both him and their relationship into perpetuity.

And then Helena, she thinks, Helena died too, died to save her. But came back, and promptly disappeared completely out of her life. Why was that? And these visions she’s been suffering her entire time after the bronze…..how could she have not seen something was wrong? She suddenly feels completely useless. 

“MYKA,” she says to herself, “Stop it.” She consciously tries to stop thinking, so she doesn’t completely ruin the utter joy she felt just moments before. Forcing her thoughts to shift, she closes her eyes and focuses on how her body felt so right mere minutes ago together with Helena’s.

But thinking of bodies, together, causes her to think of her body and cancer, of her body breaking down, of not being strong, of not being able to take care of herself, of not being capable of what they just did. She remembers the fear she felt not knowing if the surgery and treatments would work. 

She begins to weep.

\--------------------

Helena has been lying on her back next to Myka, catching her breath, lost in the divine act that just occurred.

She is jostled out of her contentedness when she notices Myka is crying. She rolls on her side to face Myka, takes hold of one of her hands, and runs her thumb lightly over the back. She soon realizes Myka's tears are not caused by the joy of release. They are darker, heavier, and must be stopped.

"Did I hurt you, love?" Helena says softly into Myka’s ear. She lays her head down on the pillow next to Myka's and leans into Myka’s hair. Her mouth slightly parts, and she breathes in curls.

After Helena speaks, Myka tries to calm herself by wiping away some of her tears.

Helena pulls away and props herself up, awaiting Myka’s response, but keeps hold of Myka’s hand.

Myka’s thoughts are still racing. She wants to say “Yes. Yes, you did hurt me, Helena, because why the _hell_ haven’t we been doing this since we first met? This amazing, incredible, mind-blowing thing we just did? Why did you put me through all of this pain and self-doubt because of your stupid, stupid insanity?"

Myka then turns toward Helena to reply but is stopped short when she sees the deep love that lies in Helena’s eyes. Suddenly nothing else matters.

Nothing at all.

Her reply changes quickly to that of kissing Helena like she’s never kissed anyone before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I _am_ sorry that Myka can't just be happy, but between you and me I can't believe this is the first time she's had sex in years. I mean Helena has made her extremely happy here, but since she's Myka she can't just relax entirely into the moment (yet?), she of course has to process it all. Lets hope, in the future, she can learn to chill.


	8. *eight*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claudia, Dr. Calder, and Abigail arrive and everyone begins to research the mystery that is Helena's visions. This chapter is longish but the pace is quick. Much fun and fluff (+ coffee) ahead!

The morning begins much like the previous one, with Rachel calling off the hook to wake Helena. The difference is that today, Helena’s phone is not on or anywhere near her person. Sound asleep and firmly snuggled up under the covers next to Myka, the whole world could explode around her, and she would not hear a thing.

Rachel recalls Helena relaying that she would _definitely_ be staying at the hotel. So the fact that Helena is _definitely_ not picking up her phone right now causes her stress. She decides she will have to wake Helena in person.

She arrives at Helena’s hotel shortly after 7:00am. Key in hand, leftover from yesterday's debacle, she strides purposefully across the lobby to the elevator banks. As she waits for the lift, she prays Helena will actually be there. 

Upon entering the suite she spies Helena’s coat and bag and feels slightly relieved. She notices the door to the bedroom is open and scowls. She’s been in this situation before and knows not to look in.

“Helena?” she says loudly. “Helena, you must get up. We need to be at this breakfast _before_ nine. I just need you to get in the car, and we can take care of the rest."

Myka rouses before Helena, realizing someone else is in the suite. In an act of modesty, she pulls up the covers to hide her nakedness before attempting to wake Helena.

“Helena," she pokes Helena gently. "Helena? Someone is here. In the front room. I think it's Rachel.” 

Helena barely registers anything. “mmmmm…..” She rolls completely over to face away from Myka. 

“Helena you have to get up.” Myka tries harder.

Helena stifles a yawn. “Why?” 

“Something about a breakfast? At nine?” 

Helena lets out an exasperated breath. She raises her head a tiny bit. “The only thing that would compel me to leave this bed while you are in it, Myka, is if the earth were to open suddenly up and swallow me whole.” She drops her head back down as if the bed was a magnet and her head made of metal.

Myka rolls over to spoon Helena from behind. She runs a hand through Helena’s silky hair. At Myka’s touch, Helena emits a low satisfied growl. 

“I’d like to spend the day in bed with you, too, but you should probably keep up with your commitments. It's just a couple more days, right? Oh and, by the way, I’m meeting Claudia later at your apartment. Her flight gets in around eleven." Myka feels she is clever, fitting in the possibly controversial information in in the end. She is still suggestively combing through Helena’s hair.

"Mmmhmmm," is all the response Helena can muster at Myka's admission. 

Helena then says very loudly, “Rachel, could you please close the doors to the bedroom."

Rachel replies sternly, “We need to leave in fifteen minutes, Helena. FIFTEEN."

“She’ll be ready,” Myka shouts. 

\------------------------------------

Helena rolls over one hundred and eighty degrees and nestles her head into Myka's chest. 

Myka throws an arm and a leg over Helena's form, pulling her in closer.

"I don't want to go, Myka," Helena pouts. 

"I know babe," Myka places her chin on the top of Helena’s head and resumes stroking her hair.

After a pause, Helena speaks openly. "Myka, are you all right with what we did last night?"

Myka's grin is electric."Mmmhmm. Yeah.....," she says dreamily.

In response, Helena places a kiss on Myka’s clavicle, then another on her sternum, and begins to trail slowly all the way down to her stomach. 

Myka lets out a mockingly shocked “Helena!” while Helena mouths into Myka's belly button, “she did say fifteen minutes did she not?” and continues to complete her task. 

Helena emerges from the bedroom thirty minutes later wearing the wickedest of grins. Rachel is less than pleased.

\-------------------------------

Myka arrives at Helena’s apartment maybe ten minutes before Claudia. She didn't realize just how much traffic there could be during midday in Manhattan. 

They exchange hugs and hellos, and Myka helps her haul her luggage up the several flights of stairs. 

Upon entering the apartment, Claudia exclaims, "Wow, H.G. lives _here_?” 

Myka looks around and realizes the apartment is still in a state of disarray from the other evening. She blushes a tiny bit and starts to tidy. 

Claudia plops her stuff down and scans the room. "Did you and H.G. have a fight or something? Cos this place is a mess." 

Myka rationalizes, "Um, well, no. Not exactly. Maybe. At times? H.G. hasn't spent much time here lately since her book launch and everything so……" 

Claudia paws some papers. "Yeah, this newspaper is from, like, two months ago. Hey, what's this?" She picks up an artifact drawing. "I know what this is! I mean in real life."

Myka moves next to Claudia to inspect the drawing, too. "That, my dear, is just the tip of the iceberg. Come with me.” She grabs Claudia by the hand and leads her across the apartment. 

Claudia barely has time to register the contents of the kitchen before they arrive in the study. "Holy shit!” she exclaims. "Sorry, that came out a little loud. But sweet mother of God, this even tops me in my super cray cray days." 

"Well it's not like she can control it," Myka says, but immediately wishes she didn't. 

"Oh and like I could just because I wasn't whammied?” Claudia barks.

“Claudia, no— no, I'm sorry. You know I didn’t mean it that way. It's just— H.G. is kinda fragile right now and….."

“Oh….” Claudia’s eyes go wide. She raises her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh and doubles over a little bit while pointing a finger at Myka. “….Oh, Myka. Your face!"

Myka's eyebrows raise. “Wha—what’s wrong with my face?" 

Claudia is grinning ear to ear. "Your face, it’s— it's priceless! You are so far gone, the Hubble telescope couldn't even find you—" 

“What? Gone where?” Myka is still confused.

“ _In love_ , dude. Like, you’ve fallen, and you can’t get up. And— AND, I bet you two did it already, _didn’t_ you?" 

“Claudia!” Myka turns a deepest color of beet red and punches her in the arm. 

“Ow!—What…...its adorable! Myka, really. You and H.G.? It's about damn time. We all were placing bets….."

“Claudia……,” Myka raises an eyebrow to signal that she is not talking about this right now.

Claudia concedes. “Okey dokey then miss spoil sport. You _will_ give me details later though. But maybe not all of them. The whens and the whys, but maybe not the hows. I mean _Pete_ will want to know the hows but I don’t because, like, _ew_.” At that she makes a sour face but shakes it off. "Anyway, Let's get to work!” She wanders off to inspect the rest of the content of the room. 

Myka takes a moment to think about the fact that she and Helena did, indeed, "do it" last night. Her mouth forms a half smile, and her eyes sparkle. 

She soon snaps out of it and joins Claudia. She diligently picks up all the items that had fallen from H.G.’s desk during the previous evening’s happenings, as Claudia begins scanning and cataloging all the pieces of paper around the room. They both work to cross reference items in the drawings with items in the Warehouse database. It is slow work.

"How long has H.G. been collecting these? There’s like a bajillion.” Claudia is overwhelmed.

“Well, some are from Emily Lake,” Myka says matter-of-factly.

Claudia’s brows meet. “Do you mean cat lady Emily Lake or Stepford wife Emily Lake or, like _eccentric novelist_ \- Emily Lake….” 

"Um, all of them?” Myka sees how this is confusing. "But I meant the one from Wyoming."

“Wow.” Claudia’s mind is spinning.

“And maybe some are from before Yellowstone. I'm not quite sure of the timeline. You’ll have to ask H.G.” Now Myka’s mind is spinning too.

\----------------------------

They continue to work until late evening and decide to order takeout.

“Does H.G.’s buzzer thingy even work?” says Claudia. 

'I’m not sure.” Myka can’t remember if it rang the other morning when Helena’s car arrived.

Moments later the buzzer does ring, loudly, startling both of them. They quickly learn that while the intercom is broken, the button that opens the outside front door works.

Myka opens the apartment front door without looking to see who it is. “How much is the— "

She’s surprised to find Helena standing there.

“Darling!" Helena hums. She looks exhausted but extremely happy to see Myka.

“Hi!" Myka chirps back.

Helena leans in and gives Myka an enthusiastic hello kiss. She pulls back when she hears the sound of someone clearing their throat in the background.

Myka moves away to reveal Claudia standing behind her.

"Claudia!” H.G. exclaims. Her eyes light up. She is surprised by how warm she feels inside to see the girl.

“H.G!" squeals Claudia as she dives to give Helena a huge bear hug. "I’ve missed you," Claudia says with sincerity.

"As have I, you,” says Helena. She closes her eyes. She really has missed her.

The buzzer buzzes again.

Myka exclaims, “Oh, that must be the food! Just in time."

\----------------------------

As they eat Claudia asks H.G. a million and one questions.

H.G. indulges as many of Claudia’s questions as possible but deflects when necessary.

Myka watches it all with a happy heart.

Everyone is tired.

Myka and H.G. decide that should head back to the hotel and let Claudia have the apartment to herself. Claudia wants them to stay, but H.G. insists she should not have to sleep on "that lumpy monstrosity of a couch."

H.G. and Myka head to the bedroom to prepare H.G.’s bed for its guest, while Claudia settles into the couch with her laptop. 

Fifteen minutes later, Helena finally locates a set of clean sheets.

Myka has been lying on the bed the entire time and is nearly asleep. Helena eyes her enviously.

“Unfortunately, darling, you will have to vacate the area if I am to ready it for young Claudia,” she says sleepily. She sighs.

Myka opens one eye, then the other. She sighs too. "Let me go talk to Claudia."

By the time Myka reaches the living room, Claudia is already asleep. She gently wakes her.

“Claud?"

“mmm…..what?"

“Are you ok sleeping on the couch? We were thinking we might stay after all.” Myka sounds apologetic.

“Yeah I’m fine. It's not that lumpy. I told you I didn’t want you to go anyway.” Claudia mumbles. She just wants to sleep.

"Ok, thanks. I’ll go get you a blanket. Let us know if you need anything."

She lays the blanket over Claudia and quietly says, “Goodnight."

Claudia is already asleep.

\------------------------------

Myka nods her head when she enters the bedroom. Helena immediately drops the sheets.

"Oh good. I’m exhausted." Helena plops down on the bed.

"Me too." Myka follows. She rolls over to face Helena and grabs one of her hands. She brings it up to her lips, places a light kiss, and holds it close by.

"What time do you have to leave in the morning?” Myka’s not sure she wants to know the answer, but she asks anyway.

"I don’t,” Helena says matter-of-factly.

“Really?” There is a tinge of excitement is Myka’s.

“Yes. I begged the morning off. As of now I don’t have to be anywhere until evening.” 

“That's great! We won’t have to get up until Dr. Calder, and Abigail arrive mid-morning.” 

Helena sighs. "Does that mean we have to get up before noon?” 

Myka gives a crooked smile, eyes full of mischief. “Well, not _too_ early."

“Oh good," Helena's words are muffled by a yawn.

Helena rolls over to rest her head on Myka’s shoulder. 

Myka moves her arm up and around to allow Helena to snuggle in even closer.

Helena drapes her arm over Myka's torso. She is fast falling asleep.

Myka inquires, “Helena?"

No response. 

"Um, I’m not sleeping in my clothes again."

“Then take them off,” Helena mumbles into Myka’s shoulder. Her eyes are closed, but her smile is wide.

Myka sighs. “You think you're funny, don’t you? I _would_ , but Claudia is right there in the next room. What if she needs something and comes in to find us naked?"

Helena grunts out, “Fine. Your loss,” and propels herself off the bed.

She digs around in a drawer for something large enough for Myka to wear. “I’m afraid what I have on offer might be a bit tight.” She throws her some gym shorts and a t-shirt.

Helena then starts undressing quite mechanically in front of Myka.

“Helena!"

“What now?” Helena is desperate. She can barely stay standing at his point she is so exhausted. "I believe you spent a lot of time witnessing all of _this_ last night. No need to be modest.” She waves her hand up and down her body.

Myka blushes.

Helena decides to indulge Myka. “Oh _alright_ , I’ll turn around. And I’ll remain that way until your notification that it is safe to return to bed."

Helena turns around.

Myka watches in fascination as Helena strips out of her clothes and into her pajamas. She’s already forgotten she is supposed to be doing that too. 

Helena continues standing, facing away from Myka. “Well?"

Myka's concentration is broken. "Sorry! I’ll hurry up."

Helena crosses her arms.

“OK!” 

Helena turns around and stands motionless, eyeing the beautiful woman in her bed. Myka is already nestled under the covers, which Helena thinks looks absolutely perfect. She soon crawls in to join her. Myka lays her head on Helena's shoulder and pulls her in closer. They both fall asleep in minutes.

\----------------------------------

Claudia is rudely woken by the buzzer at an indeterminate time.

“OK, Ok, ok, I’m coming, I’m coming,” she says to no one. She stumbles over and pushes the “door” button on the console, then opens the front door to the apartment.

“All the way up,” she yells. She can hear Vanessa and Abigail struggling with their luggage up the stairs.

“Well that’s certainly a workout,” Abigail professes once they reach the top.

"Come in, come in," Claudia beckons, yawning. “Welcome to Chez H.G.! Make yourselves at home." She runs over to move her stuff off the couch.

"So _this_ is Helena's apartment?" Vanessa says out loud while shaking her head in disbelief. “Huh." 

Claudia mouths, "Uh-huh."

“Its just— not what I expected……" 

“I KNOW!” Claudia says a little too emphatically. She is not awake yet.

They all stand and quizzically take in the features of the room.

Claudia snaps out of it. “Uh, I'll just go get Myka," she says a bit nervously.

Abigail and Vanessa sit down.

\------------------------------------

Myka wakes before Helena. She is lying on her back. 

Helena is lying on her side, facing Myka, but not touching. 

Myka rolls over to face Helena, and impulsively reaches out the run her fingers lightly over Helena's features. 

Helena rouses a little and moves ever so slightly into Myka’s touch. 

Myka runs her hand through Helena's hair. The movement becomes reflexive, as if stroking a cat. She closes her eyes. 

Helena’s eyes open just a crack. She notes the satisfied smile on Myka's face. She closes the distance between them, placing a sleepy kiss on Myka’s lips. She then pulls back to rest her head on Myka’s pillow.

Myka’s eyes open and they connect with Helena's. Her expression reads, “I’m so happy you're your still here”. She leans in for a less than chaste kiss that prompts Helena to inch closer. 

As the kiss intensifies, Myka fists her hand in Helena's hair. 

Helena rolls Myka onto her back and lifts herself up, straddling Myka.

Myka's hands begin to wander down Helena’s back towards……….

A knock at the bedroom door causes both women freeze in place.

“Myka?" says Claudia, apprehensively. 

Myka and Helena both stare at the door. They don’t answer.

"Myka, are you awake?” 

Silence. 

“Ok you two, stop whatever it is you are doing, cos you gotta get up. Dr. Calder and Abigail are here.” Claudia scolds. 

Helena falls on top of Myka and lets out a frustrated groan. 

Myka rolls her eyes and answers, "Ok Claud, be there in a sec."

Myka buries her face in the crook of Helena's neck and starts to laugh.

“What is so funny?” Helena says in a mockingly sarcastic tone.

“This!” Myka makes wags a finger between them. "I feel like a teenager that’s been caught making out in their parents bedroom."

“Mmm, naughty indeed," Helena says. She moves in to begin where they left off.

Myka pushes Helena upwards. "Helena! We have to get up."

Helena’s brows meet. She pleads, "One more minute?"

“Helena…….," Myka narrows her eyes. 

Helena takes in a deep breath then lets it out. “Fine." She dramatically rolls off of Myka.

Myka gets up and changes into her clothes from last night.

Helena doesn't budge from the bed.

Myka gives her an impatient look and raises her eyebrows.

“Do I really have to get up this instant? It _has_ been a harrowing week,” Helena sulks.

“Its not _all_ been harrowing I hope.” Myka teases. “And well, according to Rachel, you usually spend a lot of time in bed."

"What? When did she say that?” Helena says in jest. 

“On the phone the other day.” Myka gives a crooked half smile.

Helena grabs a pillow and throws it at Myka.

Myka catches it and throws it right back.

Myka cocks an eyebrow. “Get up Helena!" She turns and exits the room.

\-----------------------

"Hello, ladies!" Myka greets. 

All eyes on fall on Myka's tussled state as she exits the bedroom. 

"I won't be a minute," she says cheerfully as she slips into the bathroom. 

At that, everyone turns and continues inspecting various scraps of paper on the coffee table. Claudia monosyllabically attempts to explain to Abigail and Vanessa what they are. 

Myka emerges into the kitchen and says, "I'd offer you, ladies, something to drink, but I don't think H.G. has anything here except booze and water. She's been busy with her book launch and stuff."

Claudia snorts at the word "stuff" and Myka gives her a pointed look. 

"Well I, for one, need coffee. Lots of coffee. Buckets in fact. Someone needs to get us coffee, pronto.” Claudia desperately exclaims.

Myka walks towards the couch, as Vanessa and Abigail rise to greet her. 

Vanessa goes first and gives her a hug. She holds her at arms length and says in a motherly tone, “How are you doing? You are looking well! Some time away from the Warehouse seems have done you good."

Claudia snorts again. Abigail eyes her with confusion. 

Vanessa moves to the side, and Abigail steps up to pull Myka into a hug. "Vanessa's right. You look much happier, Myka. It's good to see you!" 

"Now, where is Helena?" asks Vanessa.

“H.G.’s never liked mornings,” rationalizes Claudia.

The sound of a throat being cleared can be heard in the room. Everyone turns around.

Helena is leaning on the wall to the kitchen, arms crossed, watching the scene play out. She looks a bit haggard, but her hair is playfully mussed, and she is wearing a robe over her pajamas. As she witnesses, the hug Myka gives to the beautiful Asian woman in the room, a pang of jealousy surges through her.

"Good morning everyone." She says somewhat sleepily yet diplomatically. "Thank you all for coming." 

"Ok, great, we’re all here. So coffee, now, anyone?" Claudia offers to the room. 

There's some chatter, and its agreed everyone wants coffee and something to eat. 

"I'll go," says Myka. "In the meantime H.G. and Claudia can fill you two in on the details.” She looks at Abigail then Vanessa.

Then Myka says to the group, “Maybe we can write down what everyone wants, and I’ll see what I can find.” 

Myka turns towards Helena wearing an expectant look.

Helena eyes her blankly. 

Myka raises her brows.

Helena responds with confusion.

Myka cranes her neck and raises her brows again.

Helena mutters a soft “Oh” and turns to head into the study to find something to write on. She returns and hands pen and paper to Claudia.

Claudia writes down everyone's requests, then hands the paper to Myka.

List in hand, Myka walks towards the door.

Helena follows. 

Myka grabs her coat. As she begins to slip into it, she asks Helena, “Where’s a good place to go to get all of this?” 

Helena moves in very closely to give Myka suggestions and directions. She momentarily glances to the side to ascertain whether Abigail is watching the exchange. She is not.

Helena then runs her hands over Myka’s newly donned coat to smooth it out, and somewhat dramatically grabs its lapels. She angles herself upwards, pulling Myka into a long, sensuous and perhaps inappropriate in front of company goodbye kiss.

This does get Abigail’s attention. Then Vanessa’s. And Claudia’s.

Abigail, mouth slightly agape, says in a half whisper to Claudia, “Well, that’s new.” Her eyebrows raise.

Claudia smiles radiantly. “Yeah…” she says moonily. Then more speculatively, “…or maybe. Probably? None of us are quite sure. But definitely yeah for now.” Her smile returns.

Helena releases Myka, who now has nearly forgotten what she is supposed to be doing. She watches Myka descend the stairs, then turns on her heels and says, “Let's get to work."

\-------------------------

Myka returns with coffee and pastries, all of which are consumed immediately.

Dr. Calder runs tests on Helena while Helena talks with Abigail. Abigail takes notes.

Myka decides to continue helping Claudia catalog artifact drawings.

Helena’s phone rings. It's Rachel. She says she has to take the call and walks into the bedroom.

Once Helena is out of the room, Myka asks Dr. Calder and Abigail what they think so far about Helena’s condition.

Dr. Calder says, “Well, it all definitely seems artifact related to me. It’d help if we knew what artifact, but maybe we can sort of backtrack and find a way to make at least the visions less stressful. I’m going to access Emily Lake's records, and Helena will have to get some tests run on herself, too. I’ll know more when she gets back in two weeks from her book tour."

Myka narrows her eyes. “Book tour? What book tour?” She looks expectantly at Vanessa, then Abigail. She feels out of the loop.

“Helena didn't tell you?" says Abigail.

“Um….no." Myka thinks for a minute. "I guess…..uh…..well, we haven’t really talked about any future commitments at all, with all this other stuff going on."

“She did say she was going to try to get out of it,” Vanessa admits.

Abigail adds, “But I thought we decided that wasn’t the best idea? We agreed she should keep her normal schedule so as to not scare off this Valda person, which we need if we want to find the artifact.” 

“Oh right,” says Vanessa. “I’m finding it hard to keep up with all of this."

“Now that the Warehouse is involved, he will probably worry that we'll will pursue him. And if that happens he might disappear, which won’t help Helena,” Abigail predicts.

Abigail turns to address Myka. "Myka, Helena said that was one of your theories, correct?” 

Myka is also finding it hard to keep up.

“OKholdonwait-just-a-minute.” Myka’s looks down and throws her hands up. When she looks up she is greeted by two stunned faces. “Sorry.”

Her mind races to piece together all of this information. “OK, I’m there with you, we need to not scare Valda off. But we can’t just leave things the way they are and not try to catch him. Helena says the visions are getting worse and….."

“He’s too evasive, darling. Plus he has too many people working for him. We’re simply outnumbered.” Helena is back. She chimes in.

Myka whirls around to face her.

“Also, I feel there is a strange sense of trust between us. I give him what he wants, and he leaves me alone. Brawn in itself will not work in this scenario, dear, we need to use our brains.” Helena gives Myka a confident grin.

Myka bites her bottom lip while looking at Helena inquisitively.

"How did it go on the phone?” Abigail tries to change the subject.

“Not surprisingly, Rachel was less than pleased at my suggestion of canceling the book tour. Therefore, I suppose it will be going ahead as planned.” Helena sounds defeated. "However, I demanded a break after the tour. Two weeks from now I will visit the Warehouse. By that time, Vanessa should have had enough time to view all of my records. And I will endeavor to endure these various tests she has implored me to take.”

She turns to address Myka and Claudia. “In the meantime, Myka and Claudia can process the information they have collected and enter it into the Warehouse database. Perhaps this shall unearth some clues as to what I was ‘whammied’ with. We can then move forward to find an antidote."

Myka doesn't like the first part of what Helena just said. “Hey wait a minute! I’m not going with you?"

"Myka…,” Helena says pensively.

"Why not? Don’t you want me to?” Myka sounds wounded.

“Darling, its not that, its just….” Helena sees she needs to spell it out, “….for this to work we need to play their game. While they may already be aware that the nature of our relationship has changed, they also may not. If you come with me, it might seem you were there as my Warehouse bodyguard, which could set off alarms."

Myka is about to argue that point when Helena proposes, “I thought I might bring along Abigail.” She nods her head in Abigail’s direction.

“What?” Abigail and Myka both say in unison. Their mouths drop open.

“So— so, wait. I’m the brawn; she’s the brains?” Myka points at Abigail.

Abigail raises her brows.

Myka apologizes. “No, offense."

Helena sighs.

“I believe the presence of the Warehouse therapist may _not_ set off any alarms. Also, if Abigail agrees, I…..” Helena chooses her words carefully, “….I will admit I just may have some _issues_ that I should perhaps discuss with a professional."

All eyes turn to Abigail.

“OK— I’m down. When do we leave?" Abigail tries to not sound too enthusiastic, but her mind is shouting "Road trip!"

“Tomorrow,” Helena says flatly.

“Can I talk to you in private for a minute?” Myka grabs Helena’s arm and pulls her toward the bedroom.

“Well _somebody’s_ in trouble,” says Claudia, not looking up from her computer screen.

\------------------------

"Myka, please….."

"Oh don’t you 'Myka please’ me Helena Wells. What kind of bullshit are you pulling this time, really?” Myka is not pleased.

"Do you honestly think I was aware of my schedule these last few days? You have seen firsthand how Rachel herds me around. Without her, I’d not know where I was meant to be and any time of the day.” Helena waves her hands around to emphasize Rachel herding her around. 

Myka glares and crosses her arms.

“All right, fine. I _did_ know about the book tour but I hadn’t a clue it was starting so soon. Rachel texted me earlier and demanded I check my email so that she could walk me through my schedule. You were out getting coffee. And, well, you already know the rest.” Helena lays out the timeline.

Myka uncrosses her arms. "You have email?"

“Of _course_ I have email, Myka."

Myka narrows her eyes. Somehow this fact angers her even more.

Helena sighs. “This is not a power play, Myka. Don’t you think I’d rather you accompany me? Or that I could just scrap the whole bloody thing? I’d throw the lot of it out the window right now just to spend all of my remaining days on this earth with you. But correct me if I’m wrong, Myka Bering, this _still_ would not please you. You will not relax until we fix my ‘vision' problem, of that I am certain. And that complicates matters quite a bit.” She lets of a huff of breath.

Myka’s eyes soften as a crooked smile grows on her face. “You’ve given this some thought, haven’t you?"

“In the short amount of time afforded to me, yes."

“And your not just taking Abigail because she's hot?" Myka says half-joking, but half not.

Helena takes Myka’s mockery to heart and raises an eyebrow. "I meant what I said earlier. I _have_ thought about this. Abigail and I talked briefly earlier. She held her own when I dodged certain……issues. I’m willing to let her try to help.” 

Helena steps closer to Myka and takes hold of her hands.

“When I was hiding with the Astrolabe, I came to terms with the fact that if I were to _ever_ have the chance to be close to you, I needed to confront my demons. _You_ could not be solely responsible for the weight of my misdeeds. Add to that the problems caused by the visions…...can you now see how much of a burden I’d be to you, Myka?" 

“Helena, that's not your decision to make.” Myka drops Helena’s hands. 

"I _know_ Myka. This is why I need to try at least to repair what I can.” Helena now crosses her arms. 

Myka decides to let the matter rest for now. "So then it's not just because she's hot?" 

Helena smiles and drops her arms. Myka leans in for a kiss. 

\-------------

Evening arrives. Helena and Vanessa both take their leave to attend other engagements.

Abigail, Myka, and Claudia all have dinner together.

Abigail heads to her hotel while Claudia stays on at Helena’s apartment. 

Myka shuffles all of her belongings from her hotel to Helena’s. Helena will meet her there later. 

Everyone agrees on a time to meet back at Helena's apartment the next day. 

\----------------

In the morning, Dr. Calder is the first to arrive, then Abigail. Myka and Helena turn up forty-five minutes later.

“Traffic,” they say in unison as an excuse. Both seem to be glowing.

Vanessa hands a stack of papers to Helena and instructs her as to which tests need to be performed on her trip.

Helena hands off the papers off Abigail and swiftly walks into the bedroom. Abigail looks down at the stack, then up at Helena’s receding form in confusion.

Myka and Claudia laugh.

Helena finishes packing.

Dr. Calder has other business she needs to attend to and takes her leave before Helena and Abigail’s ride to the airport turns up.

It is decided Myka and Claudia will stay in New York for another day or two to finish documenting and gathering information.

When the car arrives, there is an overextended and nearly teary goodbye between Helena and Myka. Rachel calls three times and threatens to come up before Myka manages to push Helena out the door. Abigail trails behind. 

As the driver loads Helena and Abigail's bags in the trunk, Helena climbs in the back with Rachel. Abigail decides to sit in the front. 

Once situated Rachel leans forward and asks Abigail, “Are you Myka?" 

Abigail replies, “No, I'm Abigail." 

Rachel throws Helena an icy glare. 

Helena shrugs.

\--------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Things become complicated when Helena arrives at the Warehouse.


	9. *nine*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her book tour, Helena visits the Warehouse. Can she reconcile who she's become with who she once was, enough to be with Myka?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Helena is now entering Myka's space, I decided we should hear more of Helena's thoughts, her point of view. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who is still reading this, I really appreciate it! I've been banging this chapter into shape with a 2x4 all week - my brain has been mush. I think this I have to it let go. Sorry if its not as readable as its predecessors. Its a true inbetweener. 
> 
> \---------------------------

As the _Emily Lake_ book tour winds down, Helena, and Abigail make their way back to South Dakota. Upon arrival at the airport, they discover their flight is delayed due to bad weather.

Helena calls Myka to tell her the news. Myka still wants to meet them when they arrive, but Helena argues it's too much hassle. After much back and forth it is decided Abigail will rent a car instead of Myka picking them up.

As they wait at the gate for their flight, both women sit in relative silence, too exhausted to even make small talk. The last two weeks of nonstop travel has taken its toll.

Helena turns to Abigail and says as nobly as possible, “I believe once this is all over I owe you a vacation.“

Abigail replies somewhat teasingly, "I’m holding you to that, H.G. Somewhere tropical and far away from _anyone_ who knows who the hell you are.” She slumps down and wraps her jacket around herself tightly to fight off the freezing A/C. She slowly nods off.

Helena leans back and closes her eyes. As her mind catches up with her body, she takes a minute to reflect. This trip was far busier than she had anticipated. Fitting in medical tests, book readings, promo interviews, and travel has been a chore. She only had time to talk with Myka twice, which she feels terrible about though Myka repeatedly told her it was ok. Plus, the residual headaches left by her visions have become increasingly more disruptive, making every day an adventure. 

She sits up a little to check the departing flight schedule. There is no change. Their flight is still two hours behind. Glancing to the side she notices Abigail is now totally asleep, snuggled into her coat as much as possible with her hands in the pockets.

Abigail, she thinks to herself. She was right about Abigail. While there was barely time to speak in depth with the woman, Abigail seems to inherently understand Helena’s doubts and reservations. Due to her complicated relationship to the Warehouse it was agreed that the transition, once Helena is physically there, will be difficult, as she's aggressively repressed that part of her identity since Boone. 

And while it's important to have acknowledged these facts out loud, its equally relevant to admit that at no point did she bury her love for Myka. Myka was and is always on her mind. Over the years, she consciously kept herself from getting too involved with others, like Giselle, as she held back her most intimate feelings for Myka. Deep down, she knew that someday they would meet again under better circumstances. And when they did, she really wanted to be ready for her. 

At that thought, Helena closes her eyes for a minute. She sighs heavily. Her thoughts turn dark.

In her heart she knows she’s _not_ ready, not in the slightest, to deal with the Warehouse _or_ enter into a relationship with Myka. She’s not yet dealt with any of her demons, merely locked them away, as she’s always been wont to do. Once she reaches the Warehouse, will she be able to control the ferocity with which her bottled up feelings manifest themselves? Can she reconcile who she is now with who she was, the things she’s done, the things done to her?

The incredible levity caused by Myka’s presence in New York left her feeling as if she could handle almost anything. But now, with the reality of the Warehouse eminent, she’s not so sure she can fulfill her promises. She’s going to have to be on her best behavior so as not to ruin the fragile trust she's only recently achieved with Myka.

Helena knows if Abigail were awake she'd tell her to relax, to stop thinking so hard. She’s not sure how accomplish that exactly, but she tries. Placing her carry on bag on the seat next to her, she leans over to use it as a pillow.

By the time there is a boarding announcement, Helena is out cold. Abigail shakes her several times before she rouses. 

\-------------------------------

Several hours later they land. Helena picks up their luggage while Abigail takes care of the legalities of the rental car. They soon begin the drive home.

Helena stares blankly out the passenger side window the entire way.

Abigail turns on the radio.

They reach their destination a little after 1AM. As they exit the car, they decide to leave their luggage until morning.

Abigail strides purposefully toward the B&B. She pulls out her keys and unlocks the door. She turns to Helena.

Helena stops a few paces behind. The sight of the building in front of her transports her mind to the days when she was first welcomed as a guest there, days when she was carefully hiding her agenda to destroy the world. Pete still had Kelly. Leena was still alive. Myka hadn’t yet been broken by her betrayal.

She decides she's not sure she can enter.

Abigail senses Helena’s hesitancy and moves to reassure her. “Helena, listen. It's late. Come inside. You’re exhausted. You’ll feel better once you see Myka and get some sleep." 

Helena looks at Abigail, then at the open door. She nods ok.

They enter the B&B.

Shoes are removed, and jackets hung up. They walk quietly towards the stairs. Abigail freezes when she notices Myka is asleep on the couch in the living room, book propped open, face down on her lap. She motions for Helena to take a look. 

Helena can't help but cast a tired smile in Myka’s direction. Just the sight of Myka causes her heart to ache, but in a good way. Maybe Abigail is right, she thinks. She just needs some sleep.

Abigail mouths “goodnight” to Helena, then ascends the stairs.

Helena walks into the living room and plonks rather gracelessly onto a chair across from Myka. 

She struggles to keep her eyes open in order to linger on the beautiful sleeping female form in front of her. Myka's mouth is slightly parted, curly hair falling towards one side of the pillow. Her left hand has fallen from her lap onto the couch. She is wearing an oversize t-shirt and pajama pants and still has slippers on her feet. Helena supposes she should cover Myka with a blanket, but finds she has no urge to move.

A feeling of calm washes over her as she realizes how happy she is just to be near Myka. Soon her eyes feel too heavy to keep open, and her head falls to the side. She immediately falls into a dreamless sleep.

\-----------------------

Myka rouses Helena after an indeterminate amount of time. She gives her a warm grin, which Helena returns once she realizes Myka is real. Taking Helena by the hand, Myka leads her from the chair up the stairs to the bedroom. 

Once inside, Myka closes the door and heads for her dresser to pull out some garments for Helena to sleep in.

Helena stands sheepishly in the middle of the room. As her mind wakes, she flashes back to the last time she was a guest in Myka’s bedroom, before Egypt. Memories pour into her veins like quicksilver. Suddenly she feels terribly out of place.

As Myka turns to face Helena, clothes in hand, she immediately notices something is wrong. Helena’s body is tense, eyes unfocused, mouth parted. She is breathing hard. Myka quickly lays the clothes on the bed and moves to stand inches away from Helena. She tucks a strand of hair behind Helena's ear, then slides her hand down to cradle her jaw. She strokes Helena's cheek with her thumb.

At Myka’s touch, the weight of Helena's guilt begins to subside. She leans into Myka’s hand and closes her eyes. A connection has been made. She tells herself she is corporeal. There are no more hidden agendas. It is time to move forward. Her breathing normalizes, and her face visibly softens. She slowly opens her eyes to an expectant Myka.

Myka feels the connection too. An intense smile slowly builds on her face. Her eyes say, “I’m so glad you are finally here." 

The adoration Myka’s eyes cause Helena to instinctively smile back.

Crisis averted; Myka straightforwardly removes Helena's top and pants, replacing them with an oversized t-shirt and sweats. She lifts the covers and motions for Helena to climb in.

Helena falls into bed like a lead weight. 

Myka rolls her over and spoons her from behind.

They are asleep in an instant.

\-------------------------- 

The next morning, Myka wakes at her usual early hour. A feeling of joy washes over her at the sight of Helena resting peacefully by her side. 

Placing a hand on Helena’s shoulder, she kisses her lightly on her temple. She speaks softly into Helena's ear.

“Helena— Helena, I’m sorry, but we have to get up."

Helena’s stirs only slightly.

Myka runs her hand lightly up and down Helena’s arm. “Dr. Calder is on her way, and Claudia organized a welcome home breakfast."

Helena utters a light, “Mmm."

“Claud is leaving this morning for a few days for Caretaker training. She was really sad she didn’t get to see you last night. She'll be devastated if she doesn’t get to say goodbye. It would really mean a lot to her….."

“mmMMmmm,” is all Helena manages as a response.

“I know you’re exhausted but I _promise_ we can come back to bed later. Plus we have most of the week to ourselves.” Myka says suggestively.

Helena turns to face Myka. She opens one eye briefly but then shuts it tight. ”All right,” she croaks.

Myka places a short but not so chaste kiss on Helena's lips and slips out of bed.

Helena thinks to herself, “No rest for the wicked, thrown right into the fire,” and slowly rises.

\--------------------------------

In the dining room, everyone is present except for Artie, who is picking up Vanessa from the airport. Myka and Helena are the last two to arrive.

Upon sight, Pete rushes over and lifts H.G. off the ground into a big bear hug. “Welcome back, old lady!" he says emphatically.

Helena, clearly not awake yet, is frazzled by Pete’s enthusiasm.

He sets Helena down and holds her at arms length. “I’ve never seen Myka so happy,” he says genuinely, but his eyes add, “….and she better stay that way."

Helena knows she’s in for a talk later.

When Pete finally let's go and moves aside, she is confronted with the sight of Steve.

Her last memory of Steve grim, having witnessed his murder by Sykes’ hand. Mrs. Fredric told her long ago that Claudia brought Steve back using the metronome, but she hadn’t actually seen him in the flesh. She raises a hand to her mouth as if in awe.

“Hi, H.G,” Steve says with his trademark sense of calm in his eyes. He gives Helena a small smile and moves in to shake her hand.

Helena takes his hand, but instead of shaking it, eyes it curiously. She then squeezes his shoulder lightly and brings her hand up to his face. Her eyes are full of wonder.

“Hello, Steven. It is so very nice to meet you again.” And she is glad, as the boy did not deserve to die in such a callous way. Yet she feels a stab of jealousy over the fact that Claudia managed to accomplish something she had so spectacularly failed to achieve.

She then turns to address Claudia, who is standing nearby watching the entire exchange with admiration. Claudia's face is filled with pure reverence for Steve. Helena now feels guilty for being jealous of Claudia at all. The girl clearly needs the boy, and he is here now. That’s all that matters.

When Claudia notices Helena’s attention is now focused on her, she propels herself toward Helena and envelops her in a massive hug. “I’ve missed you H.G.” she exclaims. She is bouncing off the walls to have H.G. back at the Warehouse.

Helena, still being crushed by Claudia, notices Abigail in the distance. She throws Helena a sleepy smile. 

Soon everyone sits down to eat.

Over the course of the meal, Helena takes in the scene while listening to the banter flying around at lightening speed. She can’t deny she has moments where she feels like she has come home. 

\-----------------------

After breakfast, the gang lingers at the table. 

Artie drops Vanessa off at the B&B but does not come in. He promptly heads to the Warehouse to investigate a possible ping.

Dr. Calder greets everyone then motions for Helena to join her to discuss her test results.

Myka watches nervously as Helena follows Dr. Calder into the living room. In an effort to eavesdrop, she casually gets up and hovers near the door.

Pete notices and gives her a "What are you doing?" look. She gives him a "Shut up, Pete" look in return. He throws up his hands and clears some dishes.

Everyone else at the table moves on to start their day.

All too soon Pete's Farnsworth buzzes. Myka begrudgingly leaves her station to answer.

“Myka, where’s Pete?” Artie barks.

“Uh, he’s in the kitchen. What's up?"

“Tell Pete and Steve they are leaving immediately, we have a ping."

Pete and Steve learn their assignment is taking them to a remote island in the Florida Keys. They quickly ready themselves and hurry out the door. Claudia and Dr. Calder join them. Dr. Calder will continue her research at the Warehouse while Claudia continues on to accompany Pete and Steve to the airport.

Myka asks Artie if he needs her help at the Warehouse, too. He says everything is under control and orders her to “do whatever it is that you two do” with Helena. Myka doesn’t protest. She sees everyone off then proceeds to join Helena in the living room.

Helena is sitting on the couch, leafing through a newspaper.

Upon entering the room, Myka asks, “So, how did things go with Dr. Calder?"

"Fine," Helena says bluntly, not looking up.

Myka plops down next to Helena. "Fine? That's all you can say?" 

Helena lowers the paper and looks at Myka. "Nothing conclusive. She needs to run a few more tests and continue her research.” Helena's eyes are full of fatigue and frustration.

“Ok.” Myka offers her a sympathetic look. She places a hand on top of Helena’s, laces their fingers together, and gives a squeeze. She decides to drop the topic for now. “So, uh, we have the whole day to ourselves, by the way. We can stay in or go out, whatever you want.” She looks at Helena expectantly.

Helena glances at their intertwined hands, then around the room, then back at Myka. The house seems far too quiet without others around to distract her. The B&B suddenly feels claustrophobic. "Let's go out."

\-------------------------------

Pete and Steve graciously brought Helena and Abigail’s luggage inside before they left.

It takes little time for Helena to get ready for the day.

Myka readies herself quickly as well.

Abigail spies the women as they are leaving. She is doing her best to not work at all today and is lounging on the couch, reading. "Where are you two off to? I thought 'her majesty' over there would be passed out in bed again by now.” She points a finger and makes a swirly motion in Helena’s direction.

Helena scowls playfully at Abigail.

Myka replies, "Just into town to get some coffee and probably lunch. We'll be back later. I think ‘her majesty’ is feeling a little antsy.”

Helena raises an eyebrow in protest at Myka.

Myka reaches out and tussles Helena’s hair.

Helena swats her away. She scowls less playfully at Myka and runs a hand through her tresses.

Myka looks to Abigail and says, “See?"

Abigail replies. “Uh-huh. You two better get out of here before her energy ruins my plans to relax all day. Take the rental. The keys are in the hall."

\--------------------

Once they are in the car, Myka asks if Helena has a preference of where to go.

Helena says anywhere is fine. Her voice is distant.

Myka eyes Helena with concern.

Helena actively ignores her.

Myka starts the car and drives them to a cafe in Univille. The ride is short and quiet.

She parks. Before they exit, Myka decides can’t take this charged silence anymore. She narrows her eyes and turns to address Helena.

“Helena, what’s wrong? Did something happen on your book tour? Did Dr. Calder say something that upset you? Are you not happy to see me?"

Helena looks pensively out the window. So many questions without clear answers. So many truths she can’t admit to Myka. How can she say Dr. Calder is not sure how to stop the deterioration the visions are causing to her brain pathways? How can she tastefully relate that simply the physicality of being back here is unsettling? She has to decide how to spin this.

Suddenly she has an idea.

“Myka, I’m sorry. Of course I’m happy to see you its just….,” she reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out a scrap of newspaper with a drawing on it. She hands it to Myka.

Myka’s eyes go wide. “When did this happen?"

“After Dr. Calder left to join Peter and Steven, but before you came in and found me reading the newspaper."

“You weren’t actually reading the paper, were you?"

Helena frowns. “No.” 

“Then why the act? Why didn’t you say something? Why are we _here_ and not resting in bed?” There is a more than a hint of annoyance in Myka’s voice.

“I don’t know.” Helena can't muster up a clever retort. "The visions often leave me feeling rather restless.” 

“Do you want to go back to the B&B?"

“No.” Helena shakes her head, then closes her eyes. She lifts a hand and rubs circles with her fingers on her temple. The headache she’s been nursing since her vision is now pounding.

Myka eyes Helena with frustration. She’s holding something back, not letting her in. “Ok, look. I’m gonna go inside and get us a table. You can come in whenever. I’ll give you some space."

As Myka begins to open the door, Helena grabs her arm. She halts and turns to look at Helena. Helena’s eyes are full of remorse and pain. 

Myka turns fully to face Helena. She places both hands on Helena’s jaw, pulling her in closer, and kisses her tenderly. When she pulls back her eyes plead, “Please don’t shut me out."

Myka exits the car.

Helena leans forward and pinches the bridge of her nose.

\--------------------------

Lunch ends up being personable. Both women realize they haven't actually had a casual meal or conversation alone since their reunion. They try to keep topics on the light side. Helena tells stories of her book tour and Myka talks about previous cases with Pete. By the time they leave most of the tension from earlier has faded. 

As they pull in the driveway of the B&B, Myka turns off the engine but puts both hands firmly back on the steering wheel, eyes straight ahead. She sighs.

Helena registers Myka’s hesitation to leave the car. She’s not entirely sure what Myka is going to do or say next but wants to avert any serious topics for the moment. She summons the most apologetic look she can and leans toward Myka.

Myka bites her bottom lip and turns towards Helena. She is about to speak when Helena leans in further and delicately places a kiss on Myka's lips. Helena then withdraws to her own seat while keeping her eyes on Myka. She blinks.

Myka gives her a “What am I going to do with you?” look.

Helena feigns innocence.

They exit the car.

\---------------------------

Upon entering the B&B, they find Artie running around muttering to himself about teleportation artifacts and badly timed vacations.

Helena drops back while Myka moves forward to stop Artie mid-path. “Artie what's going on?"

“Myka…...Oh.” Artie stops suddenly. His eyebrows raise. He didn’t notice she was there. “There's been another ping. I have to go…...” He starts to walk around Myka, who is blocking him from entering the kitchen.

Myka places her hands on her hips. “Artie, you know you can’t go alone. You’ll have to take me with you.” 

Artie waves his hands. “No, no, nono, you stay here. I’ll go.” He reaches out to gently move Myka out of his way.

Myka is not budging. “Artie, tell me what’s going on, then maybe I’ll move.” 

He sighs. “Fine.” He takes a step back and pushes his glasses up on his nose.

Artie explains that during two recent bank robberies in Chicago both customers and bank employees reported experiencing hallucinogenic trips. Those present described seeing flashing lights but were not able to determine the source. Several people were hospitalized due to lingering effects. Recently, one man in his late 50’s died of a heart attack due to exacerbated flashbacks, most likely caused by the artifact. Before he died, he admitted to having taken LSD when he was a youth.

Security footage of the events was mostly scrambled. Their only clue is a young man with a large backpack who seems to have been present at both banks. 

Artie insists again that he alone must go to Chicago, but Myka protests.

“Artie, maybe don’t you remember but at Claudia’s birthday party you told us about how you and MacPherson were in San Francisco that one time and got whammied in a rather “psychedelic" manner while chasing down a concert poster by Moscoso? You said it was “really groovy….."

Artie raises his eyebrows and shakes his head. “I don’t recall telling you that story……."

“….and you know your heart isn't really in that great of shape as it is. So you really need to sit this one out. Claudia would never forgive me if I let you go. And what would Dr. Calder say?” Myka wags a finger at Artie.

Artie backtracks. “Ok ok ok, maaaybe that did happen, with the story, and the poster. But I don’t see what that has to do with anything. It wasn’t _real_ acid and— and what are you talking about, I’m in great shape!” He pats his belly.

Myka raises an eyebrow. “Do you ever get flashbacks?"

Artie furrows his brow. “That's none of your business! Anyway, none of this matters."

“Of course it matters, Artie! Someone just died! I’m not letting you go alone and actually you shouldn’t be going at all. If you go, I’m going, too.” 

Artie shakes his head. “No, no, nononono. You’re still weak, Myka. I’m not sending you out there to deal with something like this…..."

“…….I’m in much better shape than you are Artie, and……"

Helena watches with interest as they bicker for several more minutes. The discussion is going nowhere, so she decides it's time to intervene. She walks up between the two of them and holds up her hands. "I'll go."

They both turn to glower at Helena, mid-argument.

"Myka will accompany me.” She nods at Myka. Then addresses Artie,"I'll keep her out of the line of fire. Also, I believe I already know what this artifact looks like.” She pulls a notebook out of her bag and flips to a particular page. 

Artie and Myka look at the drawing in fascination. The artifact is a rectangular box. One side has knobs and the other a circle with a light bulb in it. The top has a handle, and it is obviously portable.

Artie glares at Helena, “Why didn’t you show me this earlier?” he grumbles. He snatches the book out of Helena’s hands and scurries off to find a laptop.

Myka looks at Helena apologetically and Helena shrugs. They move to the kitchen and instinctively to sit at the table.

When Artie doesn’t return immediately, Myka begins to argue a myriad of reasons why Helena shouldn't go with her.

Helena eyes Myka sternly. She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms. There is no way she is letting Myka go on this mission without her, _especially_ if Artie goes too.

Artie wanders into the room, mumbling, with a laptop and Helena's notebook in hand. "This might be it. This. Just. Might. Be. it.” He absently sits at the table and studies the information in front of him.

“This—this thing….,” He waves a hand at Helena’s drawing, “….is called a Brain Wave Synchronizer. It was designed to induce hypnosis in medical tests in the 1950’s and 60’s, but it most likely was used in drug testing trials as well. It looks something like this….”

He turns the computer screen so that Myka and Helena can see the image. 

Helena grabs the computer and pulls to towards her to look at the object more closely. This is the first time in a long while that she’s witnessed the actual object that is the source of a vision.

Myka thinks out loud, “So, the boy in the security footage looks to be in his early twenties, right? Maybe some students could have found this thing in storage at a college or their department was cleaning house? If it was some sort of science geeks, they would have known how to knock out the security cameras, too.”

Helena theorizes, “Or, once the artifact’s effects were in full force, it could have caused the cameras to fail. This point, perhaps, is not the most eminent. What we need to determine is where and when this boy will strike again.”

She then rises and stands hand on hip. "Then it’s settled? Myka and I will go. I may be a bit rusty, but I assure you my powers of deduction are still quite keen." She says this to Artie while looking at Myka. 

Myka's face softens. She gives in. "Ok. Ok. But let's get in and get out quickly.” She turns to Artie. "Artie?” 

“Yes. Fine. Good.” Artie says, clasping his hands together, looking rather pleased. He snatches the computer and starts typing. He waves a hand. “Go pack, your flight leaves tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible [poster](http://www.paulgormanis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/moscoso1.jpg) that whammied Artie.
> 
> I originally wanted the artifact to be a strobe light but then I found [this](http://www.mindupdate.com/2007/12/antique-mind-machines/). I am speculating that it would have been used in medical trials other than those for hypnosis. They did use strobe lights during drug tests though, and this item seems way more official (and steampunk) than the standard square wooden strobe lights from the 60's and 70's.
> 
> Did Myka ever have her own car? I feel like Pete had one, but Myka didn't.
> 
> And just because I used this word:[ Inbetweener](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8ooRPG-mfY)


	10. *ten*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day continues as Myka and Helena travel to Chicago to snag, bag, and tag. Some gaps are filled concerning missing past histories relating to both of parties while speeding along the highway to the airport. Myka has had it up to _here_ with Helena's attitude, while Helena realizes how much of a total mess she is at the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little longer than it should be but I wanted to give some resolution to Helena and Myka's (now very long) day. Also sorry this update wasn't as speedy as its predecessors....super busy week.....ironically with a lot of time spent driving (I usually spend like 1% of my time in a car per week). Long distance driving = good for thinking, bad for writing. 
> 
> \-----------------------

On their way up the stairs to pack, Myka and Helena are interrupted by the sound of Artie shouting, “Change of plan, ladies…….your flight leaves in two hours!” Their pace quickens. 

Helena readies with little effort, as she has not yet unpacked from her previous trip.

Myka pulls out a bag and begins piling clothes and other items onto the bed.

Helena stands transfixed by Myka's actions, but soon shuffles over to the bed and begins packing for Myka.

“Here, let me help….”

“Oh, thanks! I used to have a bag ready, but it's been so long…..this is my first field assignment in almost a year,” Myka says with more than a hint of worry in her voice.

Helena notes Myka’s unease. She catches hold of Myka's wrist as she's dropping some socks on the bed.

Myka freezes and turns toward Helena. 

Helena gently pulls Myka in closer. She releases her wrist and places a hand softly on Myka's cheek, searching Myka's face to determine just how anxious she really is about this assignment. 

Helena speaks with a steady tone, “Myka, I have the utmost faith that you and I shall resolve this post-haste. Remember, Wells and Bering, solving puzzles, saving the day?"

Myka’s worry dissolves into an affectionate crooked smile. “I believe it was Bering and Wells…."

Helena’s hand wanders through Myka’s curls as she pulls her down into a reassuring kiss.

As they break apart, Helena drops her hand to Myka’s shoulder but holds her eyes. “Of course, darling, how could I forget.” She smiles, feeling lost in a sea of green. They can handle this, and she is confident everything will be ok.

Both women jump as Artie yells up the stairs, “Chop Chop! You two need to be gone— now!"

Myka hastily finishes packing, and they rush out the door. Artie hands Helena the case files as they throw their luggage in the rental car. 

\----------------------------

Myka drives speedily onwards while Helena fills her in on the details from the files.

"Many of the bank customers reported seeing a flash of light before losing control of conscious thought. Some collapsed after several minutes."

Myka is listening intently. She mouths, “Huh."

Helena flips through a few pages, then speaks. "It seems both banks were housed in large ‘classical’ buildings built the first half of the 20th century. The pictures from the crime scenes show open lobbies and high cathedral ceilings.”

She flashes the pictures at Myka. Myka takes a quick look. "Do you think that's an important detail?" 

Helena nods. “I do, yes. Considering the overabundance of nondescript bank branches populating every street corner in modern urban areas, I'd say these particular structures were chosen for architectural reasons."

Myka smirks at Helena’s deduction. This is the twenty-first century Helena Wells speaking of urbanity and architecture. She sees an opportunity tease this “modern" Helena a little while gently probing for personal information. "What would _you_ know about banks in 'modern urban areas'? Didn’t you, until very recently, live in, like, the suburbs, where everyone drives everywhere and is scared of walking and inner cities?” She pauses ever so briefly for effect. "And I highly doubt famous writer _Emily Lake_ spends much time as a pedestrian.” Eyes still on the road, she leans her head to the side to emphasize Emily and Lake.

Helena throws Myka an indignant look. “ _Novelist_ , darling, _novelist_.”

Myka rolls her eyes.

Helena does not take kindly to Myka’s response, deciding Myka is clearly judging her without considering all of the facts. This will not do. “I will have you know that although the _Helena Wells_ of the nineteenth century may have felt otherwise, the _Helena Wells_ of today actively enjoys her role as a pedestrian whenever and wherever she can.” Her tone rises, and her speech becomes pragmatic. "Since the moment I was released from that dreadful coin, I have a new reverence for the feel of my feet on the ground. I've savored the ability to touch, smell, taste; relished the experience of time passing, of getting lost in a day to day routine.” She resolutely stares out the passenger side window while unconsciously clenching one hand.

Myka glances to the side and notices Helena is now on edge. She's unwittingly hit a nerve. “I’m sorry, Helena. I wasn’t think…..ing…. ” Her words drop off as she sees Helena is not listening. She focuses on driving.

A tense moment of silence passes been them. 

Helena dives deeply into thought, realizing that perhaps she is irrationally irritated by Myka’s assumptions. She's not yet had a chance to relate to Myka just how much the experience of being separated, then reunited, with her body radically changed her sentiments about being present in this century. To explain to her that once Sykes bomb was diffused, Myka’s tangible, touchable, reachable form, a mere arms length away, was enough to convince her she had a reason to fight for her freedom from the Regents. She takes a deep breath and unclenches her fist, contemplating future conversations, admitting to herself this is yet _another_ issue they need to discuss, which, as of now, shall be added to the ever growing list of unresolved topics Myka is surely keeping tally of in her head. She smiles a little at the thought of Myka’s infallible memory.

Her thoughts then wander to unresolved topics as they relate to pedestrianism, leaving Helena curious as to other assumptions Myka may have made during her absence. She turns to address Myka, “In your list of aforementioned events, you neglected to consider the months I was in care of the Astrolabe. _That_ Helena Wells was very much a pedestrian. Where, pray tell, do you think I was located during that time?"

Myka, startled at Helena’s question after the somewhat extended silence, blinks hard. It takes her a second to answer, "Er, well, I don’t know. I, um, kinda, sorta imagined you were tucked away on a snowy mountain top in a log cabin, like, in a remote part of Canada or something.....” Myka had assumed Helena was securely hidden away somewhere guarding the Astrolabe.

Helena huffs out a response through her nose while throwing her eyes to the side. She crosses her arms at the thought. "I most certainly was not sequestered in a mountain hideaway. That seems rather a cliché, does it not?" She thinks Myka should know better than to think she’d take the most obvious option. "As I’d already spent far too much time on my own, I felt isolation was not the best course of action, primarily for my own sanity.” She also, somewhat illogically, wanted to be close enough to Myka to help if need be, even though she had no contact with the Warehouse.

Myka eyes Helena with dismay, mouth forming a thin line. She’s not sure she wants to know here Helena was. “Ok. So if my theory is so _cliché_ , then where were you?"

Helena explains. "There are many ways in which one can disappear, Myka. Mrs. Fredric granted me funds to do with as I pleased with little to no oversight. After much deliberation, I chose to remain hidden whilst in plain sight.” She uncrosses her arms and clears a non-existent crumb off of her jeans. She thought this was a quite clever solution.

Myka’s eyes narrow as she grips the steering wheel a little tighter. “S-so wait. What you are saying is that you were in New York, like, that whole time? You were just there, in the middle of it all, acting like nothing ever happened?” She doesn't hide her initial shock and eventual annoyance at learning this information. While they were off dealing with Claudia and the dagger, the Count and Countess, sweating sickness, Artie’s lunacy, Leena’s death, Helena was probably sitting in the park reading a book. 

Helena notes Myka’s disappointment at this obviously new-to-her information and quickly elaborates. “Myka, no, that’s not—,” how can she explain this clearly and rationally, “—once the Regents cleared me for release, which took an immeasurable amount of time considering the circumstances, Artie immediately tasked me to find the dagger, during which time I traveled quite a lot. It was when I became responsible for the Astrolabe I settled on New York. It was made quite clear to me I was to have no contact with the Warehouse under any circumstances. I had to blend, to become anonymous, disappear.” 

Myka tries and fails to grip the steering wheel tighter, but it's not possible. Her eyes remain determinedly forward.

Helena waits for Myka to respond, but when she doesn’t, continues, "During my travels I learned cities are still places where one can disappear rather easily. It seems paying in cash can get one past many potential obstacles if..need…..be……...” Helena’s words slow to a halt once it becomes clear Myka is no longer paying any attention to her. 

Myka's mind has already wandered elsewhere. The words “Helena", "New York", and “disappear” are on repeat. This new information, of Helena _not_ being sequestered in a mountain hideaway, clutching the Astrolabe tightly to her chest, pining away for her, causes an irrational surge of jealousy. While she has already rationalized Helena’s foray in Boone, and decided Emily Lake, novelist, is somehow digestible, this— _this_ Helena she has not considered. She imagines _this_ Helena, newly corporeal, as a pedestrian, walking past banks, having a routine, a routine involving coffee…...meeting people while having coffee, meeting people and talking about books while having coffee, meeting people like _Giselle_ while having coffee. She gets stuck on that last one. _Were_ there others like Giselle in Helena’s life?

Helena stares at Myka, watching the wheels turn in her brain. She waits patiently for her to say something.

When Myka finally speaks, she tries to sound casual, “So, then, um, did you...make any other....ah, 'friends’ during your first days in New York?” She takes a hand off the steering wheel to rub the back her neck. 

Helena doesn’t understand what Myka is asking. She turns toward Myka and narrows her eyes. "What do you mean, exactly, by 'friends’? I _was_ meant to be covert," Helena offers, confused at this change of topic.

Myka breathes in and while blushing slightly, looks away. She hesitantly answers, “...ahhhh, you know, like....." she makes a sort of upturned looping gesture in the air with her right hand. "…. _friendly_ friends?" She mouths "friendly" slowly.

Helena looks at her perplexed.

Myka turns towards Helena and sees she doesn’t understand. “Um….friends with benefits? Anyone you might have been particularly fond of…oh…you know, like…..um….like Giselle but not Giselle…..? Or I guess you could have already met Giselle…...” Her words trail off. She is thinking way too hard.

Helena's eyebrows rise, then narrow. Already on edge from their earlier discussion, she answers somewhat sharply, "I was not living as a bloody nun if that is what you are inquiring. I do believe that after having been disembodied without my consent, frozen in bronze for 100 years, and…..oh I don’t know Myka…..DYING in a bloody alternate timeline, I was justified to at least _try_ to remember how to function within my own body. And I was swiftly learning just how many more liberties modern women have today than in my own day.” 

This comes out much harsher than Helena intended, but she has kept it inside for far too long. All of the events of today, being housed at the B&B, rushing off on assignment, talking of artifacts, and well, simply everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours has brought these unpleasant memories to the surface. She feels she’s not completely in control of her responses. Plus Myka does not need to know the particulars of the time period this _very_ minute, as this is _clearly_ a conversation for another day. She will just have to leave it at that for now. And in any event, she thinks to herself, there _was_ only really Giselle, and that other woman, and, well, hm, mostly Giselle. She glares out window purposefully, willing herself to calm down.

Sick of being held at arms length all day by Helena, _this_ is the last straw for Myka. Her breathing deepens, and she stares straight ahead, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “What the _hell_ is up with you today, Helena? Here I am, missing you like crazy….you barely speak with me for two whole weeks while on tour, and then when you are finally here all I get is— is— _attitude_ …..” Myka's so angry she can’t continue.

Helena flinches and closes her eyes. She runs her hand through her hair and rests it on the back of her neck. She opens her eyes as her hand drops, then places her fingers over her mouth while gathering her thoughts. She turns to face and increasingly incensed Myka. “Myka I—,“ her eyes fill with asking, “ _please_ try to understand. I’ve just— Ten cities in fourteen days. Ten. Cities.” She uses her index finger on her right hand to count the events on her left, "Travel, medical tests, book signings, readings, interviews, dinners, meet and greets, not to mention the all too often badly timed visions……Myka—” she audibly breathes out.

Myka’s eyes turn hard, "You say these things, Helena, these grand statements,” she waves a hand back and forth at “grand”," but then you refuse to talk about them, as if I’m already supposed to know what’s in your head.” She raises a hand high off the steering wheel when she says “head.” "I thought we were past that. I thought you could, would talk to me…."

Helena cuts Myka off. “….Myka, I just— I’m having a hard time…..adjusting. Right now. Today.” She sighs deeply. She is not feeling particularly eloquent at the moment. 

Myka’s not going to let this go. She wants answers. “I thought you said you were happy to see me? But then this hot, cold, hot cold. _And_ you are purposefully keeping things from me….important things."

“I am, incredibly…..happy— Myka…..,” she turns to eye Myka questioningly, “…..wait, what things?” Helena is at a loss. With everything that's happened today she’s not really sure what or which things Myka might be referring to. She finds this unnerving.

“God Helena…….” Myka closes her eyes tightly for a second and grinds her teeth, ”…..uuugngh.” She raises a hand and balls it into a fist, then places it back on the steering wheel. “I wanted you to tell me, for you to say it, but you’re not going to are you?"

Helena looks at Myka even more quizzically than before.

Myka glares back. Her brows meet, and she speaks purposefully. “This morning, after Dr. Calder left, I asked you what she said."

Helena responds promptly. “Yes, and I told you, the results were not conclusive.” Which is all Myka needs to know as far as Helena is concerned. She doesn’t understand why Myka won’t accept this answer.

Myka shoots Helena a “you are so full of it” look. “Helena, I was listening at the door. I heard you say your visions are getting worse, and Dr. Calder said she wasn’t surprised. She also told you your neural pathways are degrading. And that after all of the tests and research, she hadn’t found anything that could help you." 

Helena’s heart sinks. Myka’s shouldn’t know this, not yet. Not after everything she’s been through with her cancer. She takes a minute to compose herself, then speaks. “Myka, please.....this is not the time nor the place in which to discuss these matters. We can talk, _will_ talk, somewhere, later. _Not_ while driving eighty miles and hour in a moving vehicle. There will be time."

Myka snorts and slaps a hand on the steering wheel. "Ha!"

Helena jumps back at Myka’s response.

“Time, Helena? What time? When?” Myka becomes even more agitated. "Because seriously, you do realize this thing, this artifacty thing going on with you…..” she points an index finger at Helena and swirls it around “….that we," the finger now vacillates between the two of them, "might not be able to fix it. It just might not be fixable. And—and—and it just might kill you or consume you whole or steal you brain.....your beautiful b-brain……."

Myka expression quickly transforms from agitated to bittersweet, “I..I mean I just got you back, and we've already w-w-wasted so much time and here I am, already dragging you out into the f-f-field....." Her voice wavers, she licks her lips, and she's suddenly on the verge of tears. 

Helena gently places a hand on Myka's thigh to calm her, eyeing her worriedly, "Oh, Myka— please……no.” She’s not sure how Myka's anger so quickly turned to melancholy, but she knows she needs to move fast to diffuse the situation. "Myka, please," her head tilts, eyes pleading, "Let it go for now. We _will_ have time, and we _will_ work it out, all of it...." she gently squeezes Myka’s thigh and gives her a sincere and loving look, "….together. I give you my word. We will _make_ time. Let's just get though this assignment and I will tell you anything, everything you want to know. What one might call TMI in fact. I do promise." She tries desperately to lighten the mood. Right then and there she makes a promise to herself that she will talk, be more transparent. It will be difficult, but they will work it out. She is confident in that.

Myka breathes in, clearing her now runny nose. Her grip loosens on the steering wheel, but she is still eyes forward. She wipes away potential tears. “Helena, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know where that all came from. I'm being a bit overly dramatic....."

Helena reaches up to wipe away an errant tear that has escaped and run down Myka's face."You, my dear, have been through an absurd amount of physical and emotional trauma. Most regrettably _I_ was not there to care for you. _I_ had left you heartbroken in Wisconsin. And here _I_ am now causing you undue stress due to my pigheadedness. You have every right to be furious and full of questions.” She removes her hand from Myka's thigh in an act of self-reproach and folds her hands on her lap, rubbing a thumb over a knuckle. She stares blankly into the distance beyond the windshield.

Myka looks down to the space where Helena’s hand was, then over at Helena. “Helena…no.” She shakes her head. “No, no, nono, no. Don’t go there. Just don’t. Stop thinking that you—"

"Myka....." Helena says dolefully. She leans her head towards Myka without looking at her. "Let's solve this case first." 

\--------------------------------

A serious silence takes over the vehicle.

Myka keeps her eyes on the road, concentrating on driving.

Helena contemplates the monotony of the South Dakotan highway. She basks in her guilt for just about as long as she can stand before deciding she has to stop. She thinks to herself this is _not_ why she is here, that this dynamic is meant to have changed, but she is clearly not making the effort as she told herself she would. Myka must be sick to death of her compunction by now. She reaches into the recesses of her mind in an effort to pull out what little guidance she gained from Abigail over the last two weeks. She perks up as she remembers a worthwhile tactic: ask something personal about Myka. 

Helena decides to take a cue from Myka’s earlier inquiry and breaks the silence by voicing a thought. “Myka?"

Myka leans towards Helena. “Mmhmm?" 

Helena speaks while rubbing her chin, “Was there no one……,” she looks Myka up and down, “…...with whom you thought to be intimate with during my absence? Anyone who piqued your interest?” Helena says with a hint of mischief.

Myka mulls the question over for a moment, then blushes. She could avoid it entirely, but decides if this thing between them is going to work that she should tell the truth. She did just scold Helena for not being forthcoming. And, after all, she actually met Giselle…..it couldn't hurt to make Helena a little jealous.

"Well, there was this hockey player…,” Myka begins with a bit of a smirk.

"A what?” Helena turns fully to face Myka. She reaches to fiddle with her locket, immediately regretting she asked this question.

"Hockey player. You know the game with the ice and sticks and skating” Myka says playfully.

“I am aware of this sport, thank you very much.” Helena huffs. “Continue.” She waves a hand.

Myka snickers a little at Helena's hand wave. She does continue, “Pete, and I were on this case, in Canada and……well…..this guy, he was kinda a jerk but then nice and ended up actually being smart and I dunno, we talked, and I sort of kissed him. No, _wait_ , I mean, he kissed me, and I let him.” She raises and index finger, " _He_ definitely was the one doing the kissing, not me. But that was it, just the kissing, and only once. And I felt sorta weird about the whole thing after.” She decides not to reveal anything else that happened on that trip, as it was all truly unsettling.

Helena runs her tongue along her top left teeth while eyeing Myka up and down uncomfortably. She licks her lips, then says gruffly, "Really?" 

Myka breathes in slowly, then out. She glances at Helena momentarily, then tries to be upbeat in her reply. “Really." 

Helena purses her lips and breathes in rapidly as if to reply, but holds her tongue. She turns to stare forcefully out the passenger side window; brows furrowed, leaning her chin on her fist in an attempt to curb her jealousy.

Myka realizes a little too late that the correct answer to Helena’s original question was probably “no". At least “no” for now, until some point in the distant future when Pete would bring it up to get a rise out of Helena, and they would banter about it the way that they do, and hilarity would ensue, instead of whatever potentially damaging thing is happing in the car right now.

In an effort to diffuse the situation, Myka blurts out the first thing that pops into her head. “By the way, I….uh…I met Giselle."

Helena turns to face Myka as if something is on fire.

Myka mentally face palms herself.

“You what?” Helena’s eyes go wide. "Impossible.” She can’t imagine why Myka would say this.

“Wait,” Myka desperately tries to backtrack, "you said earlier we should stop talking about this stuff in the car, but then you whole broke your own rule. So I can just tell you the story later….”

Helena glares. “You will tell me ’the story' now. And that will be it. We will postpone further conversation on this matter, and all others until an appropriate time." 

Myka raises an eyebrow and bites her bottom lip.

Helena scowls expectantly.

“Ooo-Kaaaay, if you really want me to go there….."

“Myka....” Helena says pointedly.

“Fine. Ok.” Myka puts on as conversational a tone as she can muster. "So that first night at the hotel, when I got there before you? Giselle was already there, waiting for you.” 

Helena is suddenly a deer caught in headlights. Her mouth hangs open. “……and you waited until now to inform me of this encounter?"

Myka answers. “Uh, yeah, I guess. Honestly it slipped my mind since there was so much else going on.” This was a lie. "And yeah we talked for a bit. She was really nice, actually. Said you talked about me with her? And that she was glad I was real. She also said, and I quote, 'tell Emmillee to behave’.” Myka tries to be nonchalant by attempting Giselle's accent. "I’ll tell you all about it later.” 

Helena is mortified. She palms a hand over her mouth in disbelief and turns away from Myka.

Myka places her hand on top of Helena's thigh and looks at her apologetically.

"I love you?"

\------------------------

Upon arrival at the airport, Helena and Myka rush to check in and quickly board the plane. Once they are settled, Myka reads over the case notes and together they come up with a plan. 

It is strictly business between the two of them until Helena has a vision. She startles Myka by grabbing pen and paper right out of her hands. Helena hurriedly sketches the object in her mind and scribbles the location. They both stare at it wide eyed for a minute. Myka chuckles at the location, Kuala Lumpur. Helena sets down the paper and leans back into her seat, slamming her eyes shut. Her head is pounding, her sight blurry. She needs a minute to recover. 

Myka eases Helena’s head over to rest on her shoulder. She wraps one arm around Helena's neck and tenderly runs her fingers through her silky hair.

“Honey, are you going to be ok?” Myka says almost in a whisper, resting her chin gently on the top of Helena's head.

Helena manages to mouth a smile at Myka's use of “honey".

“We don’t have to do this you know. Any of it. Or, I mean, you don’t have to. I can go alone, and if it seems too dangerous I’ll wait for backup, just do research….."

Helena’s mind is elsewhere.

She moves to sit up, but Myka won’t let her just yet. So she speaks. 

“Myka….I’m—I’m sorry. I was being incredibly childish earlier. Perhaps all day. This is not how I want things to be between us.” Helena is genuinely apologetic. 

Myka pulls back to view Helena’s face. “What? No, it's fine. I was being childish at some point, too. It's going take some time to get this right, you know.” Myka rationalizes. 

“Here, I want to show you something." Myka now allows Helena to sit up. She reaches to pull something out of her pocket.

"As I took my leave of the Warehouse with the Astrolabe, I borrowed this….” She hands a creased and worn item to Myka.

Myka recognizes it instantly. “This is the ID photo from my personnel file.” She looks up at Helena incredulously.

Helena’s attention stays firmly on the photo.

"Helena…..?” Myka is at a loss for words.

“I wanted something of you to take with me, to help see me through my loneliness while I was banished from all contact. I didn’t want to raise suspicions by removing a photo from the office, so in my haste this was the best I could do.” She reaches over and gently runs her hand across the surface of the image resting in Myka’s hand. “I’ve kept it close to me, always."

Myka is touched by Helena’s action. She feels a bit teary. “But this photo of me is terrible,” she says though shaky smile.

“Its beautiful,” Helena say dreamily. "You’re beautiful.” 

Helena’s face is now so close to Myka’s that Myka can feel Helena’s breath. She tries but fails to find words in response as her emotions defy definition. She leans in and rests her forehead on Helena’s while her gaze stays firmly on the photo.

“Ten minutes until landing,” a voice announces as a steward walks past performing one last seatbelt check. Myka stiffens and hands the photo back to Helena. They both sink into their individual seats. Helena closes her eyes again in an effort to calm her headache. Myka places her hand on top of Helena’s and gives it a comforting squeeze.

Immediately after landing they Farnsworth Artie to get an update, and head towards the rental car area.

\----------------------------

The trip from the airport to the hotel feels like it is in slow motion. Their gate was furthest most from the airport exit. The car rental took nearly an hour to sort out. Traffic exiting the airport was horrendous. Helena fielded a lengthy and at times difficult call from Rachel while Myka willed the GPS to find them a quicker route downtown. Once they reached the city, traffic inside the Loop was in gridlock. And somehow, after finally arriving at their destination, the hotel parking lot was full due to a conference.

After securing parking several blocks away, they drag their bags down the street to the hotel. Check in is a blur. They quickly enter their room and flop on the bed, side by side. Both women are frustrated beyond measure.

All of the sudden, Myka rises, “I’m gonna take a shower. We have a long day tomorrow, so we better try to get some rest."

Helena sits up and raises a hand to stop Myka from leaving the bed, but is too late. Her arm drops, and she watches intently as Myka disappears from the room. She sinks back down and closes her eyes. As she mulls over this day, this very strange, long day, she thinks about how it has been nothing like she expected. Then again what was she to expect from the Warehouse? This, perhaps. _This_ is exactly what the Warehouse does. Yesterday she was an author and today she is an agent. And to confuse things even further someone recognized her on the plane and asked for an autograph. She just needs everything to slow down just for a moment.

Myka emerges from the shower in what seems like a mere seconds later. Helena dosed off. As Myka moves closer to the bed, Helena thinks how regrettable it is that Myka is wearing pajamas. 

Myka climbs into bed and gives Helena a push. “Go shower so that we can sleep.” She is exhausted.

Helena does as commanded and showers. Warm water hitting her skin wakes her up a bit. She feels she is having her second, no third wind of the day. Once finished, she pulls on a robe and walks out of the bathroom. Myka has turned off all the lights except the one on Helena's side of the bed. Helena slips out of her robe and under the covers. She sidles up to Myka, who is hugging a pillow facing away from Helena.

Helena whispers into Myka’s ear, “Myka, are you asleep?"

"Almost….,” Myka murmurs.

"I— I know you want to rest, but I thought perhaps…….,” Helena tries to sound innocent.

‘What?” Myka says somewhat exasperated. Her eyes stay resolutely closed.

Helena tugs at Myka’s pajama top. “….perhaps…...you might take this off?” She pauses. "All of it?"

Myka smiles. She moves to sit up. 

Helena sits up too.

Myka sees Helena is already sans clothes and her eyebrows rise. A crooked half but tired smile grows on her face. 

“The great H.G. Wells. Such the romantic.” Myka says mockingly.

Helena instantly thinks she's upset Myka when that was not her intention at all. She knew she shouldn’t have said anything. "Myka I….”

Myka raises a finger to Helena’s lips to silence her. Not taking her eyes off of Helena for one second, she removes her shirt, throwing it on the floor. 

Helena is pleased with this turn of events. Her eyes drink in Myka’s newly revealed form. She reaches out to lightly graze her fingers over Myka’s collarbone while touching her tongue to her front teeth. 

Myka’s lips part and she closes her eyes.

Helena speaks, “Perhaps….."

Her hand trails across Myka's chest.

“…..we could quickly….."

Drawing a line down towards Myka's stomach.

“…..just once……."

She lingers around Myka’s belly button, her fingers tracing ever-widening circles.

Myka opens her eyes and sees Helena’s intentions written all over her face. She raises and eyebrow and says wryly, “Romance, Wells. So much romance."

Helena’s hand shrinks away. She looks up at Myka sheepishly.

“Seriously, I thought you’d never ask.” 

Helena closes her eyes and drops her head while rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Myka……I’m—,” she breathes deeply in, then out. She looks up and straight at Myka then turns to the side. 

Helena briefly registers the unwavering love in Myka’s eyes, understanding just how much Myka needs that love to be returned. That this entire day should have been about showing her how deeply she missed Myka and how totally in love she is with her. Suddenly she feels even more like an idiot for her behavior today. She has to fix this before it's too late, but she’s not sure how.

“—I’m such a bloody mess.” Helena drops her head.

Myka moves in closer. She gently grabs Helena’s upper arms. “I've noticed.” She runs her hands up and down Helena’s biceps, then tightens her grip. She leans in and whispers into Helena’s ear, “But I love you anyway."

Helena looks up, truly amazed that Myka could say that to her after today.

Myka promptly places her lips on Helena’s, drawing her into a far too belated kiss. A tiny whimper escapes Helena’s throat, causing a surge of arousal through Myka. She deepens the kiss while leaning even further over Helena, pushing her back to lie flat, while Myka hovers above.

As they break for air, Myka smiles and says, “Quickly…..huh?"

Helena narrows her eyes and throws her arms around Myka’s neck, pulling her as close as possible. She’d like to melt into this woman if possible. She kisses Myka with an intensity beyond which she thought herself capable.

\-------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up - artifact hunting is never as easy as it should be.


	11. *eleven*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spirits are high as Myka and Helena head out to bag the artifact, but things quickly go awry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for blood and some accidental violence.
> 
> *Shorter - less words!
> 
> \-------------------

Myka wakes to the unpleasant sound of her Farnsworth buzzing. She moves to intercept but finds she’s stuck. Helena is sound asleep, head on Myka's shoulder, arm draped over her torso, snuggled up tightly into Myka’s side.

Myka smiles and lightly kisses Helena’s forehead. Her voice is soft and full of sleep.

“H-Helena?” 

Helena breathes a sound out of her nose. “mmfph.”

Myka attempts to lift a shoulder.

Helena doesn’t budge.

“Helena…..Artie……Farnsworth….now…..” Myka squirms more determinedly. 

“mmmm..no.” Helena mouths into Myka’s shoulder. She squeezes her tighter.

“Helena….,” Myka mildly scolds.

Helena loosnes her grip but does not rise. Myka slips out from under her. Helena drops to the bed, eyes still closed. She hugs a pillow tightly. 

Myka groggily crosses the room and locates her Farnsworth.

Helena opens her eyes the moment before Myka answers the device. 

“Myka, wait!"

Myka nearly drops the Farnsworth but catches it before it hits the ground. She throws Helena an annoyed glare.

Helena sits up and gesticulates across her chest, wordlessly indicating Myka is not wearing any clothes. 

Myka looks down, her eyes go wide. “Oh crap.” She roughly sets down the Farnsworth and picks a shirt up off the floor.

As Helena takes in the sight of Myka dressing through a sleepy morning haze, she reminisces over a night of what can only be described as well worn satisfaction. Contrary to her expectations of the previous evening, the combination of exhaustion and pent up desire caused a frenzy of activity that was neither quick nor singular, in its occurrence. Myka was simply insatiable. As Helena repeatedly teetered on the edge of slumber, Myka found new and titillating ways of waking her. Helena speculates Myka considered this some form of punishment related to her negative attitude yesterday, but if this is indeed so, she is certainly not complaining.

Helena hesitantly moves to retrieve her robe off the floor.

Myka dresses quickly, then plunks down on the bed before answering the Farnsworth.

Upon opening, Artie immediately barks, “I've been calling for…….why did it take you so long to answer? Wait, no, no no…. don’t answer that.” He shakes his head vehemently.

Myka wears a dreamy, sleepy smile, unfazed by Artie’s brusque tone. She rubs an eye. “Good morning to you too, Artie. Do you know where we are going yet?"

As Myka is speaking, Helena leans her chin over Myka’s shoulder and addresses Artie, “Good morning, Arthur."

“You!” Artie cries.

Helena raises her head. “What?"

“The Regents are _not pleased_ that you are out in the field. And when I say _not pleased_ , I mean livid…..."

“ _Rotten tossers_ ,” Helena cries out in a moderate yet uncomfortably loud voice, directed at the tiny screen. 

"Helena!” Myka yelps, reprimanding Helena by slapping her on the arm.

Helena jerks back, “What? As far as I’m concerned they can all sod off. The Regents need not become all _shirty_ over my choice to rise to the occasion. Bloody cowards…..."

Myka’s mouth goes slack. She’s not sure where this coarseness is coming from but feels it's far too early in the morning for the conversation to have escalated so quickly.

“Artie, I'll call you right back…..” Eyes firmly on Helena, Myka closes her Farnsworth while Artie continues talking. 

Helena remonstrates. “What?” She purses her lips. “I believe I’ve previously made my feelings regarding the Regents abundantly clear."

“But—” Myka’s lips hang slightly parted, eyebrows furrowing questioningly. “—Language, Helena. Language….where did you…..?"

Helena dons a smug look. “Ahh. I see. Rachel has been instructing me on the use of modern British slang though I’m not sure I’ve been using it properly as of yet. I find it most…..satisfying…..more descriptive than its American counterparts."

“OK…” Myka doesn’t look convinced. “Doesn’t Rachel think its weird you don’t know that stuff already?"

“I imagine she considers me to be quite eccentric."

Myka narrows her eyes skeptically.

Helena yawns and continues talking, “Additionally, you may also recall some of my colleagues at the police department were rather unsavory,” she sleepily smacks her mouth then continues, “not to mention the countless hours I endured, during Adelaide's after school activities, subjected to the vulgarities emanating from suburban housewives concerning marital issues, "

Myka opens her mouth to speak but stops short at the sight of Helena snickering to herself.

“Oh, and Abigail told me this joke…….mmmfmmf.”

Myka thrusts a hand over Helena's mouth. While this is more personal information than Helena’s offered for over two weeks, it feels a bit odd that it is all related to swearing.

“Stop. Talking. Now." 

Helena nods. Her eyes go wide.

Myka stares at Helena intensely. She tilts her head. “When you say these things…..its— its like I don’t know who you are.” She’s not sure if she is serious or joking. She slowly withdraws her hand. Her eyes dart around Helena’s as if searching for something.

Helena is not sure how to respond. She sits perfectly still, watching intently as Myka’s expression transforms from mild irritation into something like amusement.

“Say something else.” Myka’s decided she’s a little turned on by Helena speaking this way. Her mouth forms a tiny but wry smile.

Helena is intrigued. She raises a brow. 

“Do it.” 

Helena grins devilishly.

“Stroppy-"

"Buggers-“

“Nancy-"

"Twats-"

Helena enunciates each word thoroughly, filling each with innuendo.

"Grotty-"

She pauses for effect.

"Pillocks."

Myka’s face animates further as a crooked smile grows. “Quite the dirty mouth you have there, Miss Wells."

Helena responds coyly, “I have been told, on occasion, I can be quite scandalous, Miss Bering." She then leans over to whisper in Myka’s ear.

“Helena!” Myka’s cheeks flush, and she smacks Helena firmly on the arm. 

Helena mouths “Ow,” and rubs the area of impact. She gives Myka a quick peck on the cheek and hops out of bed. “Perhaps, later," she says with a wink before making her way to the bathroom.

Myka watches Helena until she closes the door. She takes a moment to compose herself, then calls Artie back.

\------------------------

Artie dishes out a ten-minute diatribe concerning professionalism in the field before releasing the address Myka and Helena need to investigate. He speculates they should arrive around noon, as previous robberies occurred around a similar time.

Myka and Helena discuss strategies and formulate a game plan ahead of time in the hotel room. It is decided Myka will carry her gun while Helena takes Myka’s tesla. As they weigh their options, the conversation escalates into flirty banter over the size and range of each weapon. Myka teases Helena by holding her Tesla too high for Helena to reach. Helena jumps to wrestle it out of Myka’s hands. They spill onto the bed and end up kissing furiously. The sound of the Tesla dropping to the floor with a thump startles Myka, and she pushes Helena off so forcefully she goes flying across the room. 

“We have to go,” she says with resolve, chest beating furiously. She props herself up on her elbows.

Helena, now standing, is also breathing heavily. She runs a hand raggedly through her hair in an effort to smooth it out. “Righty. Ho.” Helena swallows.

They grab their coats and bags and exit the room.

\------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later the women reach their destination. They park, then enter the bank separately in order to not draw attention.

Myka surveys the bank lobby. It is large and open, but somewhat dimly lit using artificial light. There are twenty or so bank patrons, four or five bank tellers, and two security guards. Out of the patrons, she spies a twenty-something male wearing a ski cap with an oversize backpack making his way towards the teller stations. She thinks to herself "that's him", and guesses the artifact must be in his backpack. 

The boy stops at the counter where the deposit slips and pens are located, in the middle of the room. Myka moves casually towards him, trying to blend in. When she reaches the counter, he pulls his hat over his eyes, and out of nowhere a blinding blinking light fills the space. 

\---------------------------

Helena slowly climbs the stairs to the second-floor terrace, Myka's Tesla at the ready. She doubts she will find anything, but hopes she can reach the mezzanine, overlooking the main floor, in time to aid Myka in apprehending the artifact. She rounds the corner the at the top of the stairs and moves past a large column. She sees an open door to an office at the end of a short hallway. Sidling up to the wall next to the door, she tentatively peeks in. There is a figure, possibly a man, partially covered by curtains, wearing large, dark goggles, holding an object pointed towards the lobby. The curtains mask the faintest flicker of a strobing light. The artifact is already in use. She is too late.

Helena nearly rushes in to pummel this man but wills herself to stay calm. Myka is in the lobby and most likely is already under the effects of the light. She needs to formulate a plan, quickly. Cautiously peering back into the room, she focuses on the artifact. The item itself is resting on a railing while the man's left-hand grips its handle. His right arm is slack. As her eyes trail down she notices, he is somewhat absently holding a gun. It is pointed toward the floor.

She hastily mulls over choices, as the gun is of great concern. If she tesla’s him and he drops the artifact, it could permanently damage everyone currently under its influence. If she announces her presence, he could shoot her before she has a chance to snag it, or possibly use the artifact on her. Both actions will cause disastrous effects. Therefore neither of these suffice.

She decides thus: she will surprise the man, forcing him to turn his whole body, along with the artifact so that they are facing her. She will concentrate on neutralizing the light bulb itself with a static bag. She hopes when he startles he will drop the gun in order to keep hold of the artifact. 

Helena tucks Myka's Tesla into the back of her jeans, then turns a static bag inside out to form sort of a glove on her right her hand. If she can place this over the light, it should neutralize the effects immediately.

She marches into the room as if it were her office, closing the gap between herself and the man as swiftly as possible. 

“Excuse me,” she speaks authoritatively while walking briskly, "….who are you and just what do you think you are doing in my office? Turn around with your hands were I can see them." She prays this will work. 

The man startles violently and reacts by instinctively swinging his whole body, gun first, artifact second, far too quickly towards Helena. As he raises the gun, Helena panics. She thrusts her body towards him; arm outstretched, eyes closed while taking hold of the light bulb. 

Sparks fly in Helena's right hand as she covers the lamp with the static bag. Her momentum causes the man and Helena to tumble backward. The man bounces off the railing. There is a loud bang. Both parties are thrown in opposite directions. Helena flies back into the room, and the lamp goes with her, ripped out of the artifact, clutched tightly in her static bagged hand. She falls heavily to the floor in a heap. The man, tripped up in the curtains, hits his head on the mezzanine railing as he collapses. Both are knocked unconscious on impact. 

\-----------------------------

Everyone present in the bank lobby succumbs to the effects of the artifact. They lose their balance simultaneously as soon as it's neutralized. People begin to talk…..their thoughts and movements are still muddy, but overall have they have gained control of their minds. Theories abound concerning what just happened. A guard asks if anyone is hurt. A woman looks at her cellphone and announces she thinks about ten minutes have passed. A voice cuts through the chatter as a bank employee announces the police are on their way. 

Myka barely registers someone saying "I thought I heard a gunshot,” and immediately snaps out of her haze. She recalls approaching a kid with a backpack. A quick survey of the room reveals he has vanished. She tries to focus, to run through the events in order before everything got trippy. Her last memory is the boy pulling his hat over his eyes, but she is certain his backpack was still closed. So it couldn't have been him who set the artifact in motion unless he did it remotely. 

Or he had an accomplice. 

"Mezzanine….," Myka remembers, "….there is a mezzanine. _Helena_ went up to the mezzanine." Myka moves through the crowd like a shot. 

She flies up to the stairs but halts at the top, Secret Service instincts kicking in. She presses her body to the wall and pulls out her gun before turning the corner. She sees an open door to an office down a short corridor. She proceeds with caution. 

She hides behind the wall, much as Helena did earlier, and peers in the room.

She sees Helena, lying on her back on the floor in the middle of the room; static bagged hand resting on her torso. She's not moving. Her heart skips a beat. She wants to run to her but needs to assess the scene before jumping to conclusions. Her eyes travel around the rest of the room. She spies a pair of feet sticking out of a felled curtain to the right. They are also not moving. She decides it's safe to enter. 

As she approaches Helena, she notices a pool of blood is forming. Her pace quickens. She almost trips on her way there. She determines the blood is rushing from Helena's shoulder. Dropping her gun, she rips off her jacket, pressing it firmly to the wound. As she checks for a pulse, she prays, “Please don’t let this be Sam all over again. Please, please.….” She finds a pulse, and it is still strong. Helena is alive. Myka drops her head and closes her eyes tightly. 

The sound of sirens thrust Myka into the present.

“Helena, wake up,” she desperately cries out.

“Helena…."

No response.

As the sirens become louder, Myka realizes she needs to properly bag and hide the artifact before the police arrive. She keeps pressure on the wound with one hand while gently removing the static bag containing the lamp from Helena's grip with the other. It's a delicate operation, but she manages to shake the bag efficiently so that it's no longer inside-out and zip it closed. She places the bag in her coat pocket. She’ll have to deal with the rest of the machine later, but for now, at least, it should be non-functional..

Pulling out her phone, she dials 911, as the dispatcher can notify the authorities to send help upstairs immediately. After completing the call, she brushes an errant strand of hair from Helena's face. Helena is far too pale, and her skin feels cold. Did Helena get whammied before being shot? The thought makes her sick to her stomach.

"It's gonna be ok, Helena, you're gonna be ok. Just please—please stay with me.” She says in an effort convince the both of them. She places more pressure on Helena’s wound.

The paramedics arrive several minutes later. The police are there, too. An officer attempts to pull Myka aside to question her. She flashes her badge but doesn’t take her eyes off of Helena.

The policeman inspects her badge closely. “Secret Service, huh?"

Myka deadpans, “Yeah. We’ve been monitoring this situation closely."

The officer aggressively presses Myka for information, but Myka stays silent. As the paramedics lift Helena onto the gurney, she notices just how much blood Helena has lost. 

"I have to go with her." She moves towards the paramedics. She's not even aware words came out of her mouth. 

The policeman tries to protest and blocks her path. Her nostrils flare as she repeats, "I _have_ to go with her. I’ll tell you what I know, but at the hospital. She can't go alone.” She points fervently at Helena.

The man doesn't budge. Myka pushes him out of the way and follows the paramedics to the ambulance. The medics ask if the unconscious woman is also an agent. She nods her head yes. “She's my partner, I'd like to ride with her if that's possible.” They say ok. She climbs into the vehicle.

Myka holds Helena’s hand as the paramedic takes her vitals. A million thoughts rush through Myka’s head. “How could this happen? This is exactly why she didn’t want to come back to the Warehouse. What if she’s not ok? I just got her back and now…..I can’t— can’t loose…..” She places a hand over her mouth, and her eyes turn glassy. The medic notices Myka's distraught expression, and moves to calm her. 

“She’s lost a lot of blood, but she’s stable for now. I’m pretty sure she’ll pull through ok. We think she hit her head when she fell. So she probably has a concussion. That’s why she’s still out.” 

Myka holds out hope Helena's unconsciousness is not artifact related.

\-----------------

Myka paces the waiting nervously room while Helena is in surgery.

The police arrive shortly and grill her for information.

Yes, she saw what happened. Yes, the other woman is an agent, too. She was watching one perp in the lobby while her partner checked the mezzanine. No, she doesn’t know what happened after that, just like everyone else in the bank. When she got to the upstairs office, Helena was lying on the ground and the second person was already unconscious. No, I can’t tell you why we were there, it's classified. Yeah sure, feel free to call my supervisor.

“Just leave me alone assholes," she thinks. She desperately wishes Pete were there as he is so much better at this than she is, placating the police. And honestly, right now, she has little desire to try even. 

Though unsatisfied with her answers, the officers eventually leave. Myka finds a quiet corner and Farnsworths Artie. She tells him what she knows about what happened. He is pleased that Helena neutralized the artifact and shows a modicum of concern for Helena’s health. He mouths “touché” under his breath when he learns Helena was shot in the shoulder. Myka scolds him, clearly on the edge of tears, and he quickly changes his tune. He says he’ll get in touch with Vanessa and let her know what's happened.

A doctor finally emerges and explains Helena will be fine. He says she’s not awake yet, but she is out of surgery.

Myka visibly decompresses.

“Can I see her now?" 

\---------------------------

Myka convinces the doctor that Helena shouldn’t be left alone for psychological reasons due to the circumstances of her injury. He allows her stay by Helena’s side. Myka eventually dozes lightly in a chair she’s dragged over next to the bed. She’s holding Helena’s hand tightly.

Helena wakes a few hours later, confused and exhausted. She tries to sit up but lets out a cry of pain. Myka wakes up instantly.

“Helena stop, you’ll hurt yourself more.” Myka gently eases Helena back down onto the bed.

“Myka?” Helena says shakily, “Are you all right?"

“I’m fine. It's you who got yourself into trouble. How are you feeling?” She squeezes Helena’s hand.

“Like I’ve been shot I suppose?” She grimaces as she moves slightly to get more comfortable. “Arthur must be pleased, as I've learned the phrase 'payback is a bitch.'"

Myka’s expression warms slightly, and she sighs. She lifts Helena’s hand up to her mouth, placing a comforting kiss on her palm.

“You’re not feeling ‘trippy’ at all are you?” Helena seems OK, but Myka feels she should ask anyway.

“What do you mean?"

“Like hallucinating….like you are on drugs? In your day I guess it would have been like being on opium.” Myka speculates.

“Ah. Right. Yes, that is a feeling I certainly do recall. Definitely not. If anything I should like it if I felt a bit more like that at the moment…” Helena’s haze is lifting. She feels sore all over.

Relief washes over Myka. “Ok great! I’ll just get the doctor….,” She says cheerfully, and rises.

Helena doesn't release Myka’s hand right away. "Don’t leave me for too long love….."

\---------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next - Helena returns to the Warehouse and has to face up to her artifact related vision problem.


	12. *twelve*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An injured Helena and fretful Myka head back to the Warehouse, where things begin to fall apart when Mrs. Fredric arrives unannounced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I split this chapter into two for readability, but I do promise this will get wrapped up in a timely fashion. We are hitting the home stretch.

Helena's health improves rapidly, leading her to be released into Myka’s care after only a few days in the hospital. The women promptly fly back to South Dakota.

Pete and Claudia meet them at the airport. Pete rather comically very nearly picks Helena up to carry her to the car. Helena swats him away with her non-bound arm. She sharply explains she'd rather "stretch her legs" after being "chained to a bed for days” and "stuck in that flying contraption for hours.” She does allow Myka assist her as she climbs into Pete’s SUV.

There is a barrage of questions in the car about their mission and Helena’s health, causing the trip to the B&B fly by. Abigail and Steve greet the gang upon arrival. Helena is efficiently shuffled into the B&B and onto a chair in the common area. Steve brings her a cup of tea. Pete and Claudia hover while Myka props up Helena's arm with a pillow.

"I see I'll be receiving the 'five-star' treatment during my stay at this establishment," Helena muses.

"Of course!" exclaims Claudia. "We are the best! And are here to help."

"Myka," says Abigail, “You must both be hungry and exhausted. Can I get you anything?"

"I‘m OK, Abigail, thanks. H.G. What do you think?” Myka rests her hand of Helena’s shoulder.

"I'm not terribly hungry," says Helena, "but I am exhausted, yes. Perhaps a nap is in order?” She looks at Myka with travel-worn eyes.

Myka nods.

Helena begins to rise. All at once everyone moves to assist her. Surprised by the sudden commotion, Myka springs forward and exclaims, "I got this guys.” She helps Helena up and out of the chair. Myka steadies Helena by linking arms as they ascend the stairs.

When they reach the top Myka asks, "Are you ok with my room or do you want a room of your own for now? I just want you to be comfortable."

Helena’s brows furrow dotingly. She breathes into Myka’s ear. "I seriously doubt I'd be comfortable without you by my side dear, so I choose you.”

Myka’s cheeks redden slightly, lips curving upward. She directs Helena through her bedroom door.

She eases Helena down to sit on the edge of the bed and removes her boots. "This is just a nap, right? You'll want to get up for dinner?"

"You're not napping with me?" Helena questions coyly.

"Well, I thought I might let you rest and talk to those guys about Warehouse stuff…….” Myka answers but without much resolve.

Helena quirks an eyebrow and assumes an eager smile.

“……but.....I guess there's plenty of time for that later isn't there?” Myka palms the back of her neck while flashing an apologetic smirk.

Helena lets out a self-gratifying sigh. She's won.

Myka helps Helena move further back on the bed, then lies down next to her as close as thinks is appropriate. She doesn’t want to cause Helena any extra pain.

“PIease, darling, move closer. I won't break. It's been days since we've been able to even lie together,” Helena requests.

Myka draws in closer, nestling her head into the crook of Helena's neck. She gently slides her arm over Helena’s stomach, avoiding her injured arm that rests in a sling. They stay like this for a long while, settling into one another. As Helena is on the edge of sleep, she feels Myka's hand tense over her ribs, and the sensation of light sobbing into her neck.

The last few days have taken their toll on Myka, both physically and emotionally, more than she cares to admit.

Helena turns and places her lips atop Myka’s head. She says in a whisper, "It's going to be all right, love. I'm all right. You are home. Rest now."

Helena nudges Myka with her uninjured arm, prompting Myka to lift her head. She wraps her arm around Myka's neck and runs her fingers through Myka's curls until they both fall into slumber.

\-------------

Over the course of the week, Helena and Myka fall into a pleasantly non-eventful routine. Helena keeps busy while "resting" at the B&B. The pain medication for her arm has lessened the after-effects of the visions, allowing her to concentrate fully while scouring the Warehouse database remotely; searching for clues in identifying the artifact she is afflicted with. In addition, she has been able to catch up on book-related matters with Rachel. Myka conducts on-site research in the archive and working on paperwork at the Warehouse during the day. They share information every evening.

Helena meets with Abigail several times in a professional capacity, attempting to ease her anxiety over her proximity to and the involvement of the Warehouse in her affairs. Abigail pushes Helena to recognize the need for her to be here in order to heal, both physically and mentally. It is important she overcomes the feeling of wanting to run and instead find ways of working through and accepting her fear, guilt, and anger. If she wants things between herself and Myka to work, that process needs to begin immediately. The difficulty lies in that her distaste for certain Warehouse policies is hardwired, perhaps rightly so, and that old habits die hard.

Yet even the prospect of a cure does not quell Helena's unease over entering the Warehouse when Dr. Calder arrives later this week. It is another hurdle to be crossed, and truth be told, she is tired of Warehouse related bureaucracy. She agrees to try her best to fit in here, for Myka’s sake, for now.

\------------------------------

One particular evening Helena and Myka retire to the bedroom early, nearly tripping up the stairs. Helena could not keep her unbound hand from wandering to inappropriate places all day, driving Myka up the wall. Once the door shuts behind them, Myka immediately pushes Helena up against it, initiating a hungry kiss. They break for the smallest of seconds before Helena grabs Myka's neck and pulls her back down, covering her lips entirely. Myka leans further into Helena’s body, causing Helena to wince as her injured arm gets crushed. Myka breaks contact and steps back, not wanting to harm Helena further, but Helena snatches her arm and pulls her back.

“This is simply torture, Myka. Lying next to you nightly, unable to touch you properly…..this is driving me mad.“ Helena's eyes dart around Myka’s face as she tugs on Myka’s arm in frustration.

“Um, on a scale of one to ten, how mad exactly?" Myka says jokingly, with an open-mouthed half smile.

"Ten," Helena says flatly. Her eyes narrow.

“So, um, end the world mad?” Myka says without thinking.

“That’s not funny.” Helena's expression hardens.

“No, it's not. You're right.” Myka, embarrassed at her poor taste in words, now worries she’s killed the mood. In an effort to make a quick recovery, she places a hand on Helena’s hip and leans in closer.

"Um, so, if you are ok standing for a little while we could at least, like, make out….."

Helena wastes no time. She pounces.

Their actions continue to escalate by the door for as long possible until no longer practical. Helena manages to maneuver Myka’s t-shirt and bra off while Myka has finagled Helena’s blouse open and pushed it off of her as far as possible. As they stand, foreheads touching, catching their breath, Helena has an idea. Earlier today Abigail mentioned one of the ways to cope with her unrest in regards to the Warehouse was to create new positive memories, instead of constantly dwelling on past experiences. It was time to put that advice into practice.

Helena tilts her head up and whispers into Myka’s ear. “I believe we are capable of far better than merely this, my dear."

Myka feels a shiver of anticipation up her spine.

Helena leads Myka to the bed and urges her to sit. She pushes Myka’s legs apart and stands towering above Myka briefly, before leaning down to capture Myka’s lips in a suggestive kiss.

“I hope you agree we might be more productive here…..” Helena climbs on top of Myka.

\---------

The next day Helena is scheduled to visit the Warehouse to meet with Claudia and Dr. Calder to discuss treatment plans for her visions. Helena and Myka, both thoroughly relaxed from the previous evenings activities, emerge well rested and are ready to meet the day head on.

Everyone is jovial at breakfast, and Pete notes that Myka and Helena have been giving each other “googly eyes" all morning.

“Jeez you two, the room’s gonna catch on fire if you keep that up,” Pete says between chewing on bits of pancakes.

Myka squints at her pancakes, the looks up at Pete. “Keep what up, Pete?"

"Staring at each other with those laser beams.” Pete waves his fork back and forth between the two women.

“Oh," is all that Myka can muster in reply, fresh out of lively banter this morning. She turns towards Helena and smiles, then uses Helena's shoulder for leverage while rising from her chair to fetch more coffee.

Claudia and Steve get take their leave of the table to ready themselves for the day while Abigail follows Myka into the kitchen for a refill.

"So you're coming to the Warehouse with us today H.G?” says Pete.

"Yes, I believe that is 'the plan,' Peter,” Helena says matter-of-factly.

"You OK with that?" Pete reaches over and slides the mostly untouched pancakes from Myka’s plate onto his.

"Not exactly,” Helena says pensively. She grimaces and looks away. “But, one does what one must.” The "for Myka" is left silent.

\-----------

Abigail and Myka chat for a minute while they are in the kitchen.

“So…..things seem to be going well between you and Helena?” Abigail inquires.

Myka stares down at her coffee and flashes a big, bright grin. "Uh, yeah."

“Good, I’m glad. I just wanted to say— and I’m saying this more as s friend than a therapist— she is really trying her best to work through all of this. But today is going to be difficult for her."

"I know.” Myka's tone attempts to relay she understands the gravity of the situation.

Abigail continues, “You know, I think you two are really good for each other. But even though you've known each other for years, this thing between you right now is still very new. Confronting your fears is hard on any relationship, and most people's fears don't involve being trapped in bronze for 100 years."

Myka’s shoulders drop and she clutches her coffee more tightly. She hangs her head.

Abigail realizes she should have perhaps worked up to this conversation and not been so frank, but there is no time. She places a hand on Myka’s shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to burst your bubble this morning. What I meant to say is be as understanding as you can, and I'm here to talk if you need me.”

“Thanks, Abigail.” Myka looks up, smiling, but not as brilliantly this time.

\----------

The gang leaves for the Warehouse together, taking two cars. Myka and Helena are situated in the back of Pete’s SUV while Abigail sits in the front with Pete.

Myka rubs her thumb lightly over Helena’s hand, throwing her a worried look every few minutes. Helena stares out the window steadily as the familiar South Dakota landscape unfolds in front of her. She hasn't traveled this path in years but it's not changed much. And while she’s worked hard to untangle herself from the past, she feels a flood of unpleasant memories wash over her.

Pete tries to make small talk, but it's not sticking. The four of them travel in relative silence for most of the drive.

Claudia and Steve text to say they've stopped to grab coffee for everyone and will be there shortly. Pete parks and they all climb out of the SUV. In the distance, they spy a car approaching but it is not Steve’s. As it gets closer, they identify it as Mrs. Fredric's.

The car stops, and Mrs. Fredric emerges. She walks towards the group.

“Hello everyone,” Mrs. Fredric says with a nod.

She steps forward and addresses Myka, who is standing next to Helena. “Hello Myka, I hear you are doing well these days. I do hope you enjoyed your trip.” She says the last sentence while looking straight at Helena.

“Its was great Mrs. F, thanks!” Myka says nervously but cheerfully.

“And Helena, welcome back.” She places her hand on Helena’s shoulder.

Everyone holds their breath for a minute.

“I was hoping to catch you before you entered the Warehouse. I’d like to discuss some matters with you………in private.” Mrs. Fredric eyes Myka, then turns back to Helena.

She removes her hand. “Only if you are feeling up to it, Helena. It won’t take long,”

Helena looks at Mrs. Fredric skeptically, then at Myka. Myka gives Helena an “I don’t know what this is about” expression, and she turns back toward Mrs. Fredric.

“Alright, Irene,” Helena agrees, but with resignation. She gives Mrs. Fredric a small but deep nod.

Mrs. Fredric turns and walks towards her large black car. Helena immediately follows.

Myka stands frozen. As she watches Helena’s figure shrink into the distance, she is struck by the memory of Helena being taken away after Yellowstone. She’s not sure why, but a feeling of dread washes over her.

Myka shouts, “Helena…….wait.” She runs to catch up.

Helena stops and turns around slowly. As Myka approaches, fear and desperation take over her expression. Helena moves to placate her. “Its all right, Myka. I’ll be back….,” she looks at Mrs. Fredric and says pointedly, "….today.”

Mrs. Fredric nods. “Agreed."

Helena takes one more look at Myka and climbs into Mrs. Fredric’s car.

\------------------------

Pete looks over at Myka, and feels the slow panic taking over her as Mrs. Fredric’s car drives away.

"Awwwww man. Now why'd she have to go and do that,” Pete says, stomping his foot.

“Do what?" says Abigail, confused.

"Mykes you ok?" says Pete.

"Um......I just need a minute, Pete.” Myka’s can’t stop staring at the receding figure of Mrs. Fredric’s car. Her hand covers her mouth as her eyes tear up.

"I'm here for you Mykes if you want to talk……"

"Mhmmm Pete, yeah. Look…..I’m just gonna….," Myka takes off towards Pete’s SUV. She jumps in the back and closes the door with a slam.

Abigail looks at Pete. “What is going on?"

Pete bites his lip. "Ah, well, I’m guessing for Myka this is sorta kinda maybe a little like what happened when the Regents took Helena away the first time, after Yellowstone, and probably a lot like when they nabbed her after Sykes, and, and— well then after that, like, weird stuff always happens…….” He scratches his head.

Abigail’s eyebrows gather in regret. “Oh…..dear. I may have said some things earlier to Myka that may not have helped this situation much. Should one of us talk her?"

Pete runs his tongue over his teeth and grimaces, “iiiii'mm ah…...eeerrrmm,” he squints and his teeth clench. "Yeah. Ok. Definitely, yeah. I'll do it."

Pete gets in the passenger seat of the SUV and finds Myka sitting tensely with watery eyes. Tears stream down her face.

"Mykes? Myka. Listen, it's gonna be ok. We're gonna fix everything, but, you know, there's kinda a crazy amount of everything to fix. I mean I'm still fixing all the stupid stuff that I did during my drinking days, so for H.G. it's gonna take a lonnng time. But we'll be there for her, and Myka, you'll be there for her, and that's the biggest help of all."

Pete pauses, thinking he should reach out and touch Myka to comfort her, but then decides against it. He continues talking.

“And, and— and— Mykes, you gotta talk to someone, too, even if it's not me, cos you have a lot if things you've kept bottled up inside for years. What was that thing you told me H.G. said to you once...don't let fear guide you?"

Myka manages a shaky faint smile. “That's not what she said Pete……"

"Awwww, I said it wrong but Mykes, listen, we got this. The game's changed. Now let's go bag us a Valda!"

Myka starts laughing through the tears.

"I'll meet you inside?"

Myka takes a huge sniff and manages a teary, "Yeah."

"Take your time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I'm aggressively avoiding doing my taxes - second half will be posted shortly.


	13. *thirteen*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs. Fredric pushes Helena's buttons, causing some hard truths to click. She eventually has a revelation that points towards a brighter future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for the mention of death.
> 
> \---------------------------

Mrs. Fredric's car drives away from the Warehouse. 

Helena stares blankly out the window, wets her lips, then speaks. "You could have approached me at the bed and breakfast, Irene. This was rather dramatic even for you."

Mrs. Fredric concedes. "I apologize, Helena. This was the first opportunity available to speak to you in person before any of the tests were performed," she states plainly. "As I am no longer the official Caretaker of the Warehouse, my movements have become much....shall we say, slower."

Helena lets out a humored sound. 

"Has Valda made an appearance again at all?"

Helena turns to address Mrs. Fredric directly. "Not to my knowledge. Then again, I've not been stationary since the last time we met. Claudia has been scanning and emailing my recent drawings to Rachel, my assistant. I’ve tasked her to hang them in my study. Therefore, I imagine Valda is hovering around somewhere, watching,” 

"Is it wise to involve an outsider?” Mrs. Fredric says skeptically.

Helena counters, "Myka and Claudia organized all of the previously existing material and cleaned up quite a bit, so I'm told, therefore the apartment looks to be lived in by a saner person than I. As for Rachel this whole ordeal is related to my books and a mental illness I harbor. She is already heavily involved in all of my other affairs, and I find her exceedingly efficient. Valda would gain nothing by hurting the messenger.”

"Fine, but be careful,” Mrs. Fredric warns.

“I dare say I’d like to bring Rachel in somewhat on the reality of the situation at some point.” Helena postulates.

"We could take that under consideration,” Mrs. Fredric says flatly, pursing her lips.

Helena raises a brow. “Who are you referring to when saying we? The Regents? _They_ certainly have no say my affairs,” she says with a sneer. 

“Helena, they want to help.” Mrs. Fredric’s tone softens ever so slightly, but her posture stiffens.

“Ha!” Helena slaps her hand on her knee. “Right. Now they want to _help_?” She runs her tongue over her top teeth and narrows her eyes aggressively. "Cowards." 

Mrs. Fredric narrows her eyes back. "I think you can use all the help you can get, Helena.” 

Helena’s hand forms a fist, and she looks sideways out the window. “No, thank you."

Mrs. Fredric tries to negotiate. “What if we left it at I, _personally_ , want to help you, Helena.” 

Helena turns her head to indicate that she is listening.

"Why do you think I sent Myka to New York?" 

Helena’s hand relaxes, and she turns fully toward Mrs. Fredric with renewed interest.

“ _You_ sent Myka to New York?” Helena says incredulously.

"She didn’t tell you?” Mrs. Fredric’s eyebrows raise.

"That fact was not revealed to me." Helena slumps in her seat and gazes back out the window.

"It was not official business. She was wasting away at the Warehouse and desperately needed an outlet for her intellect. I knew the conference would interest her even if she were apprehensive about your presence there.” Mrs. Fredric explains crisply.

"So the Regents sent her to check up on me,” Helena says with a hint of disappointment.

“ _I_ sent her to gain the closure that she so desperately needed, especially after her tragic ordeal with cancer. This had little to do with the Warehouse.” Mrs. Fredric’s tone is scolding.

Helena opens her mouth to reply but does not find the words to argue that point.

"Also you had recently reached out to me to enlist my help. I thought you might be ready to let Myka help you too."

Helena sinks even further into her seat and sighs deeply, not liking this feeling of defeat.

"So this was all about Myka."

"Predominantly, yes."

"Good. Let's keep it that way."

They drive on in silence for several minutes until Mrs. Fredric speaks up. 

“Helena, the Regents want you to know….."

Helena throws Mrs. Fredric an icy glare.

Mrs. Fredric recalculates, “ _I_ want you to know I am prepared to offer you alternatives in the event the artifact causing your visions is not found, and all other options have proven unsuccessful."

"Such as?” Helena doesn’t want to speculate even what new kinds of demented schemes the Regents have dreamed up for her.

“The Janus Coin could be used again to separate your consciousness from your physical body. We could preserve your mind from further deterioration while continuing to work on reversing the effects of the artifact on your body."

Helena gasps. "I will not subject my problems onto that other woman. What a horrid idea."

"Helena that other woman _is_ you."

"She most certainly is not.” Helena turns away, affronted by the idea.

Mrs. Fredric sighs. "There may be other options, some sort of stasis….."

Helena holds her breath.

“ _Not_ the bronze. You would need to be unconscious. We’d have to suppress your brain activity."

She lets it out.

Helena gazes inward. Mrs. Fredric's suggestions raise the unpleasant thought that if none of the treatments work, Helena will clearly will become a burden to Myka. This prompts Helena to say unwittingly something highly disturbing.

"Perhaps……..,” her eyes unfocus, "…..if there is no direct solution," her mouth hangs, "it may just be my time to go.” She raises her hand over her sling to finger her locket, "I _have_ been on this earth much longer than I was meant to be. I could join Christina…..” Her stare is vacant.

“Helena,” Mrs. Fredric places a comforting hand on Helena’s shoulder, “We won’t let it come to that."

\----------------------

Mrs. Fredric drops off Helena in front of the Warehouse and takes her leave. Myka emerges to meet Helena, having had time to pull herself together.

"Is everything OK with Mrs. F?" Myka tries to sound casual but fails as the words come out in a too high timbre. She doesn’t want to pry, but she also hopes Helena isn’t going to shut her out.

Helena’s stance is guarded, eyes hard. “Apparently she wanted to tell me in person that she is available to help in any way possible.” Helena is terse, trying to simplify the situation.

"She had to talk to you privately to tell you that?” Myka knows there must be more Helena is not saying.

Helena's shoulders slump. “Fine. She said the Regents were working on an alternative solution the problem and wanted to help in any way possible. And I said, no thank you.” Helena tries to cross her arms, but since one arm is still in a sling, the motion is awkward. She looks toward the Warehouse, frustrated.

“Oh," is all Myka can manage as a response. Her mouth hangs open as if she is going to speak further, be she decides not to.

Helena breathes noisily and obviously is quite unsettled by the whole event. She glares at the massive building in front of her. Presently she harbors no love, no fond nostalgic feelings for its existence. In fact, it fills her with remorse. She wants to hit it, kick it, burn it to the ground. She wishes she could take Myka far, far away from here; somewhere they could live out their days without its presence ever crossing their minds.

Myka decides Helena’s mood is irreversible at the moment and unlikely to change if she enters the Warehouse today. She offers an alternative.

"Do you, uh, maybe not want to do this today? We can just head back to the B&B or, or maybe into town for some lunch and try again tomorrow.” Myka actively wants to avoid any further meltdowns.

Helena does her best to answer with an even tone but does not take her eyes off the building. “Yes, darling, perhaps you are right. Let's try again tomorrow."

Myka feels whatever is going on in Helena’s head right now is a bit more than she can handle on her own. She may need some help. “How about I call Abigail and see if she wants to come with us. We can take Pete’s truck."

Helena nods her head mechanically and manages to utter through clenched teeth, “All right.” 

\---------------

Helena is more monosyllabic than usual all day. Every so often Myka casts an anxious look in her direction, causing Helena to become increasingly angry with herself. After her talk with Mrs. Fredric, she feels her sheer existence on this planet must be hurting Myka. 

Later that night, as they settle into bed, Myka tries to not take up too much space. 

Aware that something is not quite right, Helena attempts to let consciously go of some of her tension, realizing she needs to dissipate Myka’s fears about today’s events.

"Darling, I'm sorry if it seems I'm shutting you out. I just have a lot on my mind.” Helena knows this is a feeble attempt at an explanation, but she decides to lead with it.

"I know,” Myka says, not satisfied with Helena’s explanation at all, but trying her hardest not to push.

There is a pregnant pause before Myka speaks again. She threads her fingers through Helena’s hand.

“I just wanna say you can talk to me about anything, Helena. I really mean it. I hate the feeling that you are holding something back so that you won't hurt me. I thought…..” Myka tries to stop herself but then decides she shouldn’t.

“Well, I thought we were working on being more honest with each other. I realize now that what I've just said is putting a lot of pressure on you and obviously I haven't thought this through, but I just want things to be different between us this time around....."

“Myka….” Helena squeezes Myka’s hand, but then silences. She is _not_ going to tell Myka she inadvertently spoke to Mrs. Fredric about letting go to join Christina, but she _will_ discuss the other options presented to her. Helena unlinks their hands and reaches to tenderly stroke Myka's curls. She feels so much affection for Myka right now she could burst. “…...I love you." 

\------------

Later that night, sound asleep in bed, Helena has a what can only be considered a nightmare. While this is not new, her mind often replays dramatic events in her sleep, she’s not had any this vivid for a long while. And none quite like this.

Helena’s nightmares often include her rage over Christina's death and her destructive quest to stop it. And occasionally, lately, since being in the presence of Myka, there is a repeat of Yellowstone though thankfully Myka is never harmed. In her current dream, Helena herself dies. Not in a ball of fiery Warehouse, gallantly saving Myka’s life, but in a hospital, in a coma, with a distraught and pale Myka by her side. She hears Myka say to the comatose Helena, “My cancer has come back,” and then comatose Helena's heart stops.

Helena jerks erect, gasping. She breathes fast and hard.

Myka wakes suddenly and tries her best to calm Helena. She gathers Helena as close possible and says gently, “Babe, what is it? Was it Christina again? It's ok, everything ok, I’m here, talk to me, let me help you.”

Helena's lips are sealed. Her face is ashen, palid; a haunted look takes residence in her eyes. She is shaking. Her instinct is to run, far away from everyone and everything she loves, so that she won’t be able to cause any further pain. So the Warehouse can’t cause her any more pain. Maybe to that cabin in the mountains in Canada Myka spoke of earlier.

"Helena, please, talk to me. What’s gotten you so spooked? Was it the Warehouse today? Mrs. Fredric? Helena?” Myka tries desperately to persuade Helena to talk through a sleepy haze.

Eventually, Helena's breathing slows but her body remains tense. She does not speak. Myka quiets as well and lies back down, holding on tightly to Helena’s hand. She eventually drifts off.

As Helena becomes more cognizant, she carefully untangles herself from Myka’s grip. She gets up and sits in an armchair in a corner of the room, curling herself up into a ball as much as she can, mind reeling.

What is she going to do now? Obviously this dream is in response to her earlier rather cavalier remark about the possibility of dying. And she knows she can’t abandon Myka now, they are in this too deep…...but if she stays but can’t be cured….. _this_ is what Mrs. Fredric was trying point out to her. That she’d, better pull herself together and explore every option possible, for Myka’s sake. And here she'd thought she had been being more open, connecting. It has now become clear to her that the longer she stays at the Warehouse, the more closed off and selfish her behavior has become, defaulting to her natural defense. If she takes a hard look at her actions of late she's stopped letting Myka in, continued evading the larger issues, and is not really trying to heal. She didn’t even recognize that she was being as such, _again_. She thought she understood the amount of work necessary to be remotely capable of being in this relationship with Myka. She now realizes she's barely scratched the surface. 

As she turns to view Myka, lying alone, asleep, in bed, she feels an overwhelming connection with this woman, one that is surprisingly unfamiliar. This is not her boundless love for Christina, where she played the role of protector, nurturer. With Myka, as she is beginning to understand, she is not only her lover, but partner; they are meant to be on equal footing. She realizes she wants to let her in, to tell her everything about her hopes and fears. She decides she needs to try harder to compromise, to be less closed off and selfish. She feels she now truly understands much of the advice Abigail has been giving her. She can’t avoid the Warehouse forever if she wants to be with Myka. She needs to find a way to deal with it, find a middle ground. 

\-----------

The next morning, when Myka wakes, she jumps up immediately, feeling a sudden panic. Helena is gone, but a quick scan of the room reveals her things are right there where she left them last night. Myka calms and assumes Helena must be downstairs. Donning her robe, she exits the room.

She stops in the doorway to survey the kitchen. Everyone except Artie is present, in the process of cobbling together some sort of breakfast before leaving for the Warehouse. 

Claudia sees Myka and asks, “Hey, Mykes. Do you think H.G. will really come to the Warehouse today?"

Myka continues scanning the room for evidence of Helena. "I don’t know Claud. Have you seen her this morning?” 

"She’s not with you?"

“No.” Myka offers no further details.

"I haven’t seen her.” Claudia addresses the others, "Hey guys, have any of you seen H.G. this morning?"

Everyone responds in the negative. Myka is getting nervous.

“OK, I’m just gonna look around." 

Myka becomes increasingly anxious as Helena does not seem to be present. As she walks through the hallway, she notices a set of keys missing. She hurries outside to find Pete’s SUV gone. A surge of anger flares up inside of her so hard and fast that she can barely control it. She balls her hands into fists but tries to think rationally.

"A note," she says to herself, "Helena _better have_ have left a note. I must've missed it.” Myka wants to believe Helena would not disappear, not after the conversation they had last night.

And there, on the hallway table, she finds a piece of crumpled but flattened out paper.

_Myka,_

_I’m sorry to leave so abruptly, but I do promise to meet you at the Warehouse later today. I need some time to think. Please apologize to Peter for I have commandeered his vehicle._

_All of my love,_

_-H_

Myka heaves a sigh of relief and closes her eyes. 

“Peeeete," she yells....

\----------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Helena enters the Warehouse and begins treatments for her visions. Myka and Helena have a big talk about their future. The gang come up with a plan to bag Valda.
> 
>    
> **Another ploy I've found to avoid my taxes is writing an AU. The mention of this AU week thing set off something in my brain, and I've been running with it. Shorter, sweeter, less crazy (but still some angst cos you gotta balance), but it needs a lot of work. Anyway that is pushing me to finish this one up for sure!


	14. *fourteen*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And (finally) forward we go.......

As the sun rises, Artie and Vanessa pull up to the Warehouse. They find Pete’s SUV is parked out front.

Artie stops the car, grimaces and says, “That’s odd. There’s no way Pete is here at this hour.”

He fumbles through his bag to find his Tesla. Motioning for Vanessa to stay put, he quietly steps out onto the lot. Approaching Pete’s vehicle with caution, he checks the front seats. They’re clear. He carefully opens a rear door, Tesla first.

“H.G.?”

Helena, asleep in the back seat, rouses and blinks groggily. She attempts to sit up but finds it difficult with her arm still in a sling.

“Arthur.” She tilts her head and rubs an eye.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Artie barks with a hearty eyebrow raise.

Helena mutters sleepily, “I believe I was meant to be here, was I not?”

Helena yawns, then stretches, as Artie stands motionless, mouth gaping.

“Well..yeah...but……,”

Vanessa silently appears behind Artie. “Helena, Are you all right?” 

Artie jumps. “I thought I told you to stay in the car?"

Vanessa rolls her eyes. With a push and a finger point, she moves Artie out of the way. "Artie, go let us in.”

She turns to Helena, scanning her up and down for injuries. "Are you hurt? Let me help you out of the car." She reaches into the vehicle and takes hold of Helena’s hand to provide leverage as Helena slips out of the SUV.

"Are you here alone?” Vanessa asks worryingly. Illuminated by daylight, she notices Helena's eyes are bloodshot and wet.

“Yes.” Helena squints at the morning sun. "I decided I needed to confront the Warehouse, but alone. I’d quite forgotten I couldn’t get in.” She eyes the Warehouse warily.

“Does Myka know you’re here?” Vanessa asks as they begin walking toward the Warehouse.

Helena nods. “She was fast asleep when I left. I don’t recall what I said, but I did leave a note.”

Vanessa stops mid-stride and turns to address Helena directly. “Are sure you want to go inside without her?”

Helena answers firmly, "I’ll do whatever it takes. We need to fix me, Vanessa. Fix me…...fix this. For Myka’s sake."

\-----------------------------

Myka runs upstairs to find her cell and call Helena. Upon entering her room, Helena’s phone is already ringing. “Of course she didn’t take it with her,” she thinks and swipes the phone off of her desk. The display says it's Rachel. She decides to pick up.

“Oh thank god you actually picked up, Helena. Listen, there’s a lot going on and we need to act quickly……."

Myka interrupts before Rachel says too much. “Rachel, this is Myka."

“Myka?” Rachel says, perplexed.

“Yeah, hey, hi. Um, have you heard from Helena this morning?"

“No. Is she missing?”

“Sorta.” Myka bites her bottom lip.

“What do you mean, sort of? Should I be worried?”

“Um, I’m sure she’ll turn up eventually,” Myka tries to sound confident. "I can give her a message through if you like.”

Rachel pauses as if thinking, then speaks. “Yes. Please. Tell her the film people want to meet ASAP and we need to figure out when, where, and how immediately."

“OK. Can do.” Myka replies, upbeat.

There is another pause.

“Also Myka…..,” Rachel’s tone drops, “…..is Helena going to be all right? She’s been a bit…..well, _off_ lately. More than her usual _off_. I know she's broken her shoulder, and that must be rather irritating, but I feel like there is something more bothering her."

Myka sighs. “I can’t say too much but she _is_ going through a lot of stuff right now, yeah.” She bites her bottom lip again. "I think she’s gonna be OK. I’ll make sure to give her your message."

\------

Immediately after hanging up with Rachel, Myka calls Artie. He grumpily confirms Helena is indeed at the Warehouse.

Myka feels somewhat perturbed by the news, as they’d made plans to enter the building together, but also relieved, in that this major hurdle has now been crossed.

Fifteen minutes after Myka’s conversation with Artie, Steve, Pete, Myka, and Claudia all stuff into Steve’s car and drive to the Warehouse. As they approach, Pete’s SUV appears on the horizon. Nearly simultaneously, everyone heaves a sigh of relief. Pete jumps out as soon as Steve stops his engine and inspects his vehicle in inside and out. He finds no fault.

The gang meets Artie in his office. He instructs Myka and Claudia to find Vanessa. Claudia says she knows where she is, and leads Myka through the Warehouse aisles and into a makeshift room filled with both modern and vintage looking equipment. Vanessa is there, reading over some charts while Helena inspects one particular machine with great interest.

“H.G.!” squeals Claudia, clapping. "Finally!" She jumps up and down then runs over and briefly but enthusiastically hugs Helena. “You are really gonna like this,” she says, pointing to a contraption with gears, wheels and a VU meter.

As Claudia busies herself with machinery, Helena turns her attention to Myka.

Myka's gaze has been firmly placed upon Helena since entering the room. She sees the exhaustion in Helena’s eyes, but also reads change; something between them has fundamentally shifted. A slow, warm, crooked smile grows on her face.

Helena offers a hopeful grin in return then turns back to Claudia.

Vanessa walks over to Myka. “Myka, may I speak with you for a minute?” She motions with her head toward the door.

“Sure, Vanessa."

They step outside.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what happened last night? Did you two have a fight?" Vanessa voices her concern.

Myka lowers her brow and wonders what Helena might have told Vanessa about last night. “No…..uh…...H.G. had a nightmare, which isn’t unusual, but this was a really bad one. She couldn’t fall back asleep, and wouldn't tell me what it was about. I tried to help, but I must have dozed off.” Her eyes wander, lost in memories of last night. "I don’t know when she left exactly, but her note said she’d meet me here later.” She regains focus and addresses Vanessa directly.

“Ah. I see," Vanessa smiles a little. “And when she ended up at the Warehouse, she couldn’t get in. We found her asleep in Pete’s truck."

“Really?” Myka smirks a little, imagining Helena asleep in Pete’s SUV, but her smirk slowly drops. “I don’t think I knew just how hard would be for her to be here, Vanessa.”

Vanessa replies earnestly, “I don’t think any of us really knew, Myka. But you are here to help her, and Abigail, and the rest of us. We need to subtlety encourage her to accept our help."

“H.G.? Subtle? Ha!” Myka jokes.

“Am I hearing my name being used in vain?” Helena asks jovially, poking her head out the door.

Vanessa grimaces playfully at Helena. “I’m going to go talk to Claudia, and maybe today we can begin some tests?” Her eyebrows rise, and she elbows Helena as she passes by.

\-----------------------

Helena’s not sure if the three cups of coffee she’s downed are responsible, but for the first time in a very long while, she feels hopeful. She walks steadfastly towards Myka.

“Call Rachel,” Myka says bluntly and tries to hand Helena her phone.

Helena acknowledges the object in Myka’s hand but does not take it.

"She needs to ask you about some film thing asap.” Myka places the device on a shelf. She turns as if to leave, remembering suddenly how angry she is at Helena for leaving in the middle of the night.

“Myka, wait.” Helena catches Myka’s arm and spins her around. Stepping into her personal space, she takes Myka’s hand into her own. “I’m sorry.” Taking a deep breath, she squeezes her eyes shut. "I’m so sorry.” She opens her eyes. "I know I say that far too often. But I do mean it.” She tenderly presses the tips of her fingers into the back of Myka's hand. "You were right last night. Things between us are meant to be different, _are_ different. It's high time I own up to that. Coming here, last night…….this is only the beginning."

Myka eyes Helena cautiously, not sure if this is the real Helena in front of her or some manifestation of a dream. Myka’s starting to think something transformative may have happened while Helena was asleep in Pete’s SUV.

“Look, right now I need to call Rachel and begin these tests with Claudia and Dr. Calder, but after that I’d like to talk. To _really_ talk.” She runs her hand up and down Myka’s arm.

Myka’s face softens, and she lets out an audible breath. “I’d really like that, Helena."

Helena pulls Myka in as close as possible for a kiss, actively ignoring the pain it causes in her arm. 

Meanwhile, Claudia has been leaning in the doorway, watching the exchange for several minutes. She is nearly crying.

“You guys,” she says wiping a tear of happiness away, "get a room.” She blinks rapidly.

“Claudia!” Vanessa shouts. Claudia turns on her heel and ducks back into the room.

“We’re ready to start.”

\------------------------------

Dr. Calder and Vanessa spend the day testing Helena’s neural pathways, trying to determine which ones are acting as a conduit for the artifact. If they can block just that portion, they might suppress the visions enough to stop any further degradation.

During a break, Helena calls Rachel and makes preliminary plans to meet with the "film people". She expresses her radical ideas concerning how she’d like to handle the situation but indicates to Rachel she needs to run them by Myka before putting anything into action.

\-----------------------------

That evening, after dinner at the B&B, Helena asks Myka if there is somewhere they can talk privately that’s not her room or the Warehouse. Myka wracks her brain but is at a loss for an immediate answer.

"If you mean like a bar there’s a decent one in Featherhead that Steve and I go to sometimes.” Myka offers.

“Two attractive women such as ourselves seemingly alone in a bar in the middle of South Dakota? I think not.” Helena says dismissively.

“Yeah. Well, another idea, uh...it doesn’t exactly feel like the Warehouse but it's not outside of the Warehouse…..the Pete cave."

"The what?"

"Pete has a room at the Warehouse that he’s turned into a kind of man cave, with video games and couches and a fridge full of cream soda,” Myka explains.

Helena sighs. “Man cave?” Her eyebrows rise quizzically, then drop. “Never mind…..I’d rather not go all the way back there tonight."

Myka’s shoulders slump. “Ok…..this is a kinda stupid idea, but what if we borrowed Pete’s SUV and just drove around. Maybe parked somewhere?"

Helena nods in resignation. "I believe this may be the only viable solution at this juncture."

Myka rises. “Peeeete…..."

\----------------------

Pete makes Myka and Helena promise “no funny business in the back”, but agrees to the arrangement and hands Myka his keys.

The women climb in the SUV and drive away.

After ten minutes of uneasy silence, they reach a stretch of road containing several big box stores. Helena side-eyes Myka up and down, but does not engage her directly. She blurts out, “Myka, I need to move out of the bed and breakfast."

Myka tenses and her foot jerks, nearly stopping the car in the middle of the road. She glowers at Helena before entering the lot of a giant discount mart. Once the engine is turned off, she unbuckles her seat belt and twists to fully face Helena.

“ _What_ are you talking about, Helena?” She glares hard, breathing out dramatically through her nose. 

Helena winces, pulling back in her seat. "I apologize. That probably was the wrong place to start.”

Myka rubs a hand over her face. “Gee, ya think?” She gives a strained smirk.

Helena recalculates. "I—," her mouth hangs, then closes tightly. She looks down at her hand and tilts her head. “—I spent a lot of time last night thinking about….,” she picks at a crease in her jeans, “…um…..things.” 

Myka narrows her eyes and leans in a little closer as if to hear Helena better. “Exactly _what_ things, Helena?” 

Helena's eyes snap shut. She takes a deep breath, holds it, then lets it out.

“The future.” She opens her eyes.

”Our future." She turns and beams expectantly at Myka.

"Together."

Myka pulls back and eyes Helena warily, but her ears perk up.

Helena’s tongue loosens. “Specifically, the trajectory we have been on since New York and my relationship with the Warehouse. Right now, the two seem to be mutually exclusive. I believe one way to mitigate these facts is for me to remove myself from the B&B.” She nods smugly.

“OK….,” Myka’s brows pull in. She crosses her arms.

Helena becomes more animated. “I’m not saying the situation in New York was perfect, but I keep thinking back to our time together there, especially that first night in the hotel. You, Myka, enabled me to open up. I trusted you implicitly, and I can’t say I've ever felt quite that way about anyone before.” She gazes at Myka, eyes full of admiration.

Myka uncrosses her arms. Her lips part.

“Another fact is that in New York we were two consenting adults, existing in the world on our own. Here, at the bed and breakfast, we are…..,” Helena purses her lips, “…..there are.....,” her eyes wander to the side as she runs her tongue over her teeth. She takes a deep breath, licks her lips, then looks directly at Myka.

“Please understand…..I am comfortable with you, Myka, in your room, in your bed, but that’s not the crux of the issue here. It's everything else around me and what it represents. I can come to terms with needing to be here to be near you, as you have dedicated your life to the Warehouse. But all of my activities cannot be housed by the Warehouse. And while the prospect of not lying next to you every night is particularly loathsome, our meetings can become something we wish for, rather than being thrown upon us.” She stills, eyes wide, searching for acceptance.

Myka opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. 

Helena continues. "For me to become a person worthy of your love, to become something truly positive in your life, Myka, I need to balance the life that I’ve made for myself and my— _our_ prospects of the future, with the reality of my past and your present.”

Helena reaches to touch Myka’s forearm but is stopped short by her seatbelt. She looks quizzically at Myka, then down at the strap, and gives a little smile. She unbuckles the clasp quickly and turns excitedly towards Myka.

“I have a proposal. I'm certain I will not approve of the film people the publisher is suggesting and will most likely take the reins and produce it on my own. I want to set up an office in Univille, or if need be, Featherhead, and bring Rachel here. Hire a staff. Maybe even film it locally." Helena sweeps her hand widely as she says “locally."

She leans forward, bouncing a little in her seat. "I’d find an office space with an apartment on top or rent something nearby. I’d come to the Warehouse to for testing purposes and, of course, to see you. And you’d be able to stay with me. Rachel would think I’m here to receive special treatments for my brain disorder since she is already privy to the visions and drawings. And I would continue to sessions with Abigail frequently."

Myka blinks, stunned. "Is that everything?"

Helena settles and gently places her hand on top of Myka's. "I know what I’m saying means we'll technically be apart, but I think it offers a solution for now that could keep both of us happy."

Myka registers the feel of Helena's hand but is otherwise overwhelmed with this deluge of information. “You thought this all up since last night?"

“Yes. Yes, I have." Helena squeezes Myka's hand tightly.

Myka presses her lips together and eyes Helena's sling. “But your arm……”

Helena looks at her arm, then up at Myka. “….will heal.”

“…….and the visions……"

“……will cease. But only with your help. And the help of others.” She flashes Myka a self-satisfied smile.

Myka begrudgingly smiles back.

Helena’s assuredness drops and her eyes turn tender. “Myka, we— this— _everything_ is going to be all right." She loosens her grip and threads her fingers through Myka's. 

Myka cocks her head inquisitively, gaze intently fixed on Helena. “OK, who are you and what have you done with Helena? This is all just……Helena…...” She squeezes Helena’s hand, beaming lovingly.

Helena huffs out a laugh. “I will admit, Rachel shouting at me for over a half an hour earlier today, explicating point by point what a 'massive travesty' it would be if this film does not get made, may hold some influence. But largely I’d like to believe I have "pulled my head out of my ass” so to speak, even if just for a moment."

“Well, you did get shot….” Myka gestures towards Helena's shoulder.

“That is no excuse for my bad behavior.” Helena breathes out heavily and drops her eyes to the side.

“Helena…..,” Myka endearingly.

Helena shakes her head. "No, Myka, it's not. You deserve better that what I have become as of late."

Myka's heart swells at Helena's admission, and she strangely feels as if she’s won some sort of prize. She moves in for a celebratory kiss, but due to Helena’s arm being bound, the motion is extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

"Darling, perhaps we should move to the back. I can say with accuracy it is quite spacious…."

\------------------------

Everything moves forward as planned.

Helena moves out of the B&B and into a building in Univille. Rachel hauls most of New York with her and turns Helena’s new office into a media hub in no time. Claudia is on hand to help and has suggested some local friends to hire as assistants. Helena and Rachel are scheduled to meet the Hollywood film producers in Sioux Falls in a few days. 

The treatments for Helena’s visions begin in earnest, but results are mixed. Though the first trial seems very positive, a few days later Helena can no longer discern colors. The visions return but in black and white. The next causes her to have short term memory loss. The visions still happen, but she forgets them, and everything else, immediately. The third uses an artifact that removes one's desires. Helena becomes a depressed lump for an entire day.

While her shoulder is healing well, Helena's visions have not lessened. Yet another round of tests shows her pathways are still degrading. She insists everything is tolerable for now. As the weeks drag on, Vanessa's services are needed more frequently outside of the Warehouse, leaving Helena and Claudia dream up and test ever more elaborate ideas on their own.

Helena spends most weekends at the B&B while Myka stays at her apartment often on weekdays. Myka grows increasingly worried, but Helena tries to ease her fears.

“Myka I’m all right. Please stop worrying,” Helena says, in a rare moment of calm, lounging together on the couch in Helena’s new apartment. She runs her fingers lazily through Myka's ever thickening curls.

“I know you won’t admit it but they are getting worse again, aren’t they, the visions?” Myka sits up a little and eyes Helena sternly.

“To be honest I’ve been so busy I haven’t noticed. The production team Rachel and I have put together starts filming next week, and we’ve been working nonstop on the script. Also, the second book is ready to be published any minute now.” Helena tries to emphasize the hectic nature of her schedule, but her words lack conviction.

“Well, I’ve noticed,” Myka scolds. She settles back down onto Helena’s lap.

“Don’t worry yourself over it, love. We’ll fix it, eventually.” Helena's tone is upbeat, but her face wears concern.

\---------------

The movie shoot begins on schedule. The production team decides to film as much as possible in South Dakota, but inevitably certain scenes will be shot on location in New York and London.

Helena becomes increasingly less available, causing the process of researching and implementing new treatment ideas to grind to a halt. She spends one last weekend at the B&B before heading to New York. 

All of the building’s residents, minus Artie, are present at breakfast that Sunday morning. While the table is chatting away, digging into their pancakes, Helena nearly faints in her seat. 

Conversation stops abruptly as everyone moves in tandem to assist Helena. She waves them off. “I’m all right; I just need a minute…....its probably low blood sugar."

“But you just ate, like three pancakes H.G.,” says Claudia. Helena shoots her a 'you’re not helping’ look.

“Helena you should go lie down,” Myka says worriedly.

“No, I’m all right. Let’s just please continue having a lovely breakfast, shall we?” Helena brushes a crumb off her shirt.

At that moment, Myka decides she can’t hold in her feelings any longer. “Uuuugghh,” She breathes out an angered, guttural sound, and slaps the table with the palms of her hands.

The table jumps.

"We need to—to find Valda and—and, and— _force_ him to give up the artifact.” Her neck strains as her head tilts. She waves a hand frantically. “I mean who knows how long it might take before something comes up that is exactly what he’s looking for? We really can’t wait any longer."

Pete blurts out absently, “Too bad we can’t just make something up, Mykes.” He reaches to swipe Myka’s pancakes off of her plate.

Myka smacks his hand. “Pete, I’m serious…..,” she says exasperated and eyes him sternly.

Claudia stands up and spins around. “Wait, wait, waaaaiit. Yes. YES! Pete, PETE that's it! That's the solution!” She points at Pete.

All eyes are on Claudia.

“Care to enlighten us darling?” asks Helena, hand on temple, still feeling woozy.

Claudia’s face lights up. "OK, check this out. We essentially ‘plant’ a fake artifact somewhere….. something that is what Valda is looking for…...but something not too obvious. H.G. has a ‘vision' about it. We go and bag, tag, and snag it then trade it to him for the artifact that he used on H.G.” She jumps up and down and claps her hands rapidly, wearing a huge grin. “El Finito!"

The table continues to stare at Claudia.

Claudia is unfazed. “And ooooh, yeah, listen, H.G. is all friendly with these film and actor people, right? We could totally stage this whole thing. All we need is to think of something that could be an artifact that could fit the bill and _boom_ , we have him!"

Suddenly the room fills with voices talking all at once about how ludicrous the whole thing sounds.

A minute later, Helena rises. Everyone pipes down. “This may work,” she announces bluntly, directly at Claudia.

Claudia gives an appreciative smirk. “Thanks, H.G."

Myka reaches up and gently pulls Helena back down to sit. “How? Do you think he’d really believe what we’d made up?” She eyes Helena questioningly.

“Remember, I’ve walked in his shoes,” Helena deadpans. "At this point he is desperate to lessen his guilt and will take great interest in anything even remotely close to what he is looking for."

“Sooooo what kind of artifact would it need to be?” Abigail chimes in quickly, shifting the conversation.

“Maybe time travel?” Claudia ventures.

Helena shoots her a disparaging look. “Not likely. He is all too familiar with my errors on that front."

“Steve, is there any, like, Buddhist thing that might work?” Claudia asks.

Steve answers, “Uh, not that I’m aware of….."

“Alternate timeline?” Claudia throws out things from the top of her head.

“Also already played out,” Myka says flatly.

Pete joins the conversation. “Then what? Cos resurrection ain't gonna work. I mean I guess there was Jesus thing but usually it's like zombies in the movies, and that's bbbbrrruugghhhllaa.” Pete shakes his head with his mouth open, and a little spit flies out the sides.

“Peeete….” Myka smacks him on the arm.

“What? I’m just sayin'..."

Myka looks over and notices Helena has her eyes closed. She says softly, “If this is too much for you, we can work on it later without you in the room. I’m sorry if this is bringing up bad memories."

“Its unavoidable, darling,” Helena counters, clearly internalizing all of her pain and guilt.

“Wait...” Claudia snaps her fingers, “….movies…..yeah! Can anyone think of stuff from movies where people were, like, brought back? In the like, non-zombie capacity?” Claudia runs off to grab her laptop.

The group mulls this over. After a few minutes of searching, Claudia drops her laptop in frustration. “All this stuff is crap. Spells and crystals, robots, vampires, total B movie bullshit.” Helena eyes Claudia critically. “Sorry, H.G.."

Helena speaks. “We can puzzle out the logistics at a later time.” Myka turns and gives Helena a ‘you always say that’ look. Helena shrugs her shoulders and continues. "It is, however, of utmost importance that our plan is not discovered by Valda or his men. It must remain as clandestine as possible."

Helena scans the faces at the table and everyone nods in agreement except for Abigail, who is lost in thought.

“Orpheus,” Abigail says directly to Helena.

“As in the Greek bard?” Helena holds Abigail’s gaze, narrowing her eyes. 

“Yes,” Abigail says enthusiastically, "but more specifically Orphée, a film made in the 1950’s, set in Paris, by the artist Jean Cocteau.”

“Of that, I’m afraid, I am not familiar.” Helena’s brow sinks.

“Anyone?” Abigail looks around the table to a sea of blank faces.

With resignation, she explains. “Ok, no classic film buffs here I see. Long story short, in the movie there is a mirror that Orpheus uses to transport himself to the underworld, to bring back his dead wife, Eurydice. Once in the underworld he convinces a tribunal that Death illegally took Eurydice’s life and that she should be returned to the living. They agree but under one condition, Orpheus may never look upon her again, or she will be taken back to the underworld."

“So the mirror….,” Myka speculates, shaking her head a little.

“Exactly,” says Abigail.

“But would Valda be interested in it if he knew he’d never ever be able to look at his kid?” Pete questions.

“Absolutely,” answers Helena, perhaps a little too strongly.

“Really?” Myka counters.

“I would,” Helena admits curtly.

Myka turns toward Helena with a pained stare.

“Let's do it!” Claudia exclaims nervously, to break the tension.

Everyone turns their attention to Helena as she speaks. “Indeed. Please talk amongst yourselves, I just need a moment.” She pushes away from the table and walks towards the hall.

Myka stands up to follow, but Abigail stops her. “Give her a minute or two, then go find her.”

Myka takes a deep breath, then turns to the group. She begins formulating a plan. “So the first step is we need to watch this movie, right? How plausible is this all? Then need to make this mirror and come up with a convincing place to put it, write some sort of script, find people to act it out…..so, yeah, research mode people!” She claps her hands once, sharply.

Myka turns to Abigail. Abigail nods. She heads out of the room to find Helena.

\----------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mantra has always been [form follows function](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_follows_function>) (I know that's not the whole phrase but humor me here), but I've learned a new one which all of you writer folks already know:
> 
> "Show, not tell" - (I _can_ draw you a picture, but with words.....still trying.)
> 
> ALSO: "Concision" — saying more with less (obviously still working on that one).
> 
> Lastly: _[Orphee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orpheus_%28film%29)_ is on Hulu Plus I believe, as is much or all of the Criterion Collection. It's always been one of my faves.


	15. *fifteen*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persistence of vision is a real thing (see [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_vision)). In cinema and TV, for believable motion to occur, you need a certain number of frames in order for the sequence to not look choppy or run too fast/slow. I tried to use this concept (albeit loosely, eh?) to frame this story, as without enough information, Myka and H.G.'s relationship could not move forward. Especially with H.G, as she'd deal with one thing but to need to admit another to complete it, OR not give enough information for the scene to play through smoothly. Until now. Hope that makes sense....maybe I should have said that in the beginning?
> 
> I hope you enjoy the last chapter and feel free to let me know what you think! Always open to any comments/suggestions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: I went back through all the chapters and tried to clean up the glaring spelling and some easily fixable minor grammar errors (sorry about that folks, I see how that happens now - got a better text editor) so the whole thing might be a *little* easier to read if you choose to go back through.
> 
> *Also sorry this took longer to post, I had an artifact snafu, then panicked, and decided in the end it was ok.
> 
> \--------------------------

Myka searches everywhere for Helena, finally finding her in the bedroom, sitting in the corner, in an armchair, calmly reading. She stands worriedly but silently observing from the door.

Helena quietly turns a page.

“Helena?"

Myka's voice causes Helena to still. Closing the book, she places her hands on top and curls her fingers around its edge. She leans back and angles her head toward the window. Her lips part, but she doesn’t speak immediately.

“Myka…..,” her grip on the book tightens and she breathes deeply in, then out as she closes her eyes, “….what if.....,” her eyes open and she licks her lips, “.......if there _is_ an artifact similar to this one we are concocting, one that would bring Christina back?" She fingers the edge of the book, gaze fixed determinedly out the window.

Brow furrowing deeply, Myka swiftly crosses the room and crouches down in front of Helena. She angles her head up seeking Helena's attention, but Helena's focus stays elsewhere.

“Helena, look at me,” Myka implores, brow wrinkling.

Helena begrudgingly does as instructed and slowly turns her head, eyes despondent.

"You can’t seriously be thinking what I think you're thinking?” Myka clasps Helena’s hands and gives them a small shake. "You can’t stay like this, your body can’t take much more.”

"I- I know.” Helena drops her eyes, "I’m sorry,” then looks back at Myka. "I really— I don’t know I'm thinking anymore, Myka. Its like I can’t focus on one thing at a time, my mind keeps shifting backward, sideways, forward. For instance, I thought I had reconciled all of this, put it behind me, but I can’t help being pulled back in, thinking there is a solution.” Clearly agitated, she closes her eyes, breathing in deeply to steady herself, then exhaling loudly.

Myka moves Helena's hands away from the book, eyes widening when she identifies it as her copy of The Time Machine. She squeezes Helena's hands tightly and eyes her with determination.

“Look, if there _is_ something out there, we'll find it together— _after_ you’re cured….but not like this. Ok?” Myka tries desperately to appeal to Helena’s sense of reason.

Helena drops her head.

Myka reaches up and tips Helena’s chin up.

“OK?” Myka begs, eyes pleading. She places her hand lightly on Helena's shoulder, then trails it down to rest on Helena's wrist.

Helena blinks. "I’m sorry, Myka. I—,“ tone plaintive, her gaze runs straight through Myka, hands tensing as she pauses in thought.

She pulls her focus back to Myka and looks her straight in the eye. “— _we_ — always seem to be discussing _my_ needs and desires, though I don’t believe we've ever discussed what _you_ want out of all of this."

"All of what?” Myka angles her head slightly to the side, and her eyes search Helena’s, confused at the change of topic.

"You and I,” Helena says. Her lips begin to upturn, and a firm yet wistful gaze builds upon her face.

“This." She reaches to gently cradle Myka’s jaw.

Myka leans in, relaxing into Helena's touch, closing her eyes. She states factually, with clear adoration, "I want _you_ ….,” Her eyes open as she says “you."

Helena, lips parted, trails her hand up to drag though Myka’s curls, fingers tracing a path back to her chin. "And you have me, _have_ had me since we very first met. The question seems to be what to _do_ with me, how to manage me, how to make _this_ work."

A crooked devilish grin spreads over Myka’s face, brows meeting while they rise, “Well, I definitely know what I’d _like_ to be doing with you right now…….”

Helena returns the smile in kind.

Myka sighs, then blinks and with doe-eyes asks, “Do you love me?"

Helena’s gaze turns bright and soulful. Her hand moves to lovingly sweep a curl behind Myka's ear.

“Unequivocally.” A finger lightly grazes the valley between ear and scalp.

“Irrevocably.” Her lips part, an eyebrow arches, she tugs playfully on Myka's earlobe.

"Ceaselessly.” The back of her hand trails down to Myka's clavicle while she beams intensely Myka.

Lost in Helena's eyes, Myka quips, "Then we’re good."

Myka leans up, placing her hands possessively on Helena’s cheeks, and initiates a deep, all-consuming kiss.

\------------------------------

Helena leaves for a location shoot New York the next day. She talks with Myka frequently, but there is radio silence concerning any progress on the fake artifact scenario until her return two weeks later.

Her first evening back, Helena, Pete, Myka, Claudia, Steve and Abigail all gather in the living room at the B&B to discuss their findings and decide how to move forward with the plan.

Claudia starts right in. “Ok, we think we’ve got a plan H.G. We watched the movie and did a ton of research to figure out what might happen to a mirror like that after filming."

Pete interrupts. “Yeah, I, like, totally didn’t get the movie, but those those smokin’ hot French ladies kept me a watchin’.” He winks in Helena's direction.

Myka eyes Helena cheekily, brows raising in amusement.

Helena huffs, "What?” feigning annoyance.

Claudia gives Pete serious side eye and loudly clears her throat. “Uh, yeah, right, moving on."

Abigail speaks up, “We think it’s fairly plausible an antique like this could have been bought by an auction house or rare antique dealer in the States. We thought it might make the most sense to have the dealer be located in New York unless you think that’s too obvious H.G."

Helena arches a brow and nods her head once in acknowledgment.

Abigail continues, "The mirror could easily be something that was boxed up or lost in an estate in France for years, therefore not activated until now. So let’s imagine all of the contents of the estate are bought by an auction house, sight unseen, and shipped to New York."

Abigail stands up and walks across the room toward a mirror hanging on the wall.

“A crate gets opened and the mirror removed. It gets cleaned by an assistant who falls through,” she fake cleans the mirror and presses her hand against it to mimic the action from the movie. “They return from the mirror with a dead loved one. No one sees this happen, and they tell no one, but the 'loved one' turns up at the 'family's' house, and everyone is amazed. The mirror goes up on auction."

“Ping number one,” says Claudia, raising a finger, zealously cocking an eyebrow.

“It gets bought by a reputable inn in upstate New York. Once unpacked its determined it doesn’t fit with the decor, so it is sold to an upscale restaurant in the same town. The worker who repacks the mirror for shipping touches its surface and gets sucked in, returns with a dead loved one, finishes packing the mirror but does not show up the next day for work. Once again, no one sees this happen except the person packing the mirror. And the dead loved one turns up at the family's home, and everyone is in shock. "

"Ping number twwooo,” Claudia says dramatically while holding up two fingers.

Abigail begins pacing the room as she talks, occasionally raising her hand or tilting her head for emphasis.

“The mirror is delivered to the restaurant and hung in the women's restroom. A patron putting on mascara leans in with one hand and touches it to get a closer look at her lashes. She falls through and comes back out without a loved one, but tells her dinner partner what happened. They both go back to the bathroom, and he tries it out too, emerging with his younger brother who died in a car crash. They pay the bill and leave, and the girl meets the kid outside."

"Ping nummmber three.” Claudia waves three fingers emphatically.

"Security cameras have caught this all on tape— already constructed and planted by your CGI film people H.G. We figure out who the patrons are by using their credit card information and arrive on the scene to talk to them. They tell us the backstory. We swoop in and remove the mirror. Valda will already know about the presence of the mirror from day one via H.G.’s vision, but not all of the details. Once they are revealed to Myka and Pete, Valda will most likely contact H.G. She will say she assumed he wouldn’t be interested because of the consequences of using the artifact. When Valda says he wants it anyway, H.G. will say she’ll make arrangements with the Warehouse for a trade.”

Abigail plops on the couch, exhausted from the tale.

“Does that seem random yet specific enough to you H.G.?” Myka asks expectantly, turning to Helena.

Helena mulls over the scenario for a minute. “Very thorough, yes. If this doesn’t work, I’m not sure what will."

\---------------------------

Helena’s production team begins filming locally in South Dakota while the Warehouse crew put their plan in motion. She has a “vision” one day and as per usual sends the drawing off to be hung in her apartment in New York as well as to the Warehouse to be researched.

Two days later Artie tells Pete and Myka they have a ping. They fly to upstate New York and investigate. Everything thus far has gone to plan.

After speaking with the couple from the security footage, Pete and Myka drive to the restaurant. When they arrive, they are surprised to find the mirror is gone. Myka questions the manager on duty while Pete looks around.

The manager explains, “Some hot British lady came by this morning and said she’d give us a bunch of money for it. So we sold it to her. She looked really familiar….” He shrugs.

Myka closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. She takes a deep breath and yells, "PETE! Peeete come here….."

Pete joins her in an instant. “Whatta’s up Mykes? You found somethin'?”

Myka points a finger, “This guy says some 'hot British lady' bought the mirror this morning.” Sounding annoyed, she cranes her neck and eyes the restaurant manager when she says “hot." “Sound familiar?"

Pete makes a pained face. “Yeeeaaaahhhh,” he mouths.

“Did she happen to say where she was going with it?” Myka, now clearly aggravated, asks the manager.

He answers nervously, “Er, she said she something about staying at the inn at the end of town. We said we could bring it to her there, but she insisted on taking it with her. She was _way_ stronger than she looked."

Myka smirks at that. She takes Pete aside. “Ok, why would she do this Pete? There must be a reason."

After a moment of contemplation, they look at each other in unison, an understanding passing through them.

Valda is already here.

“Geez Mykes, she’s gonna to use it herself,” Pete says too loudly, overacting. He turns to face Myka and raises his eyebrows as if to say 'a-ha'. Myka uses her eyes to tell him to calm down.

“I knew it, Mykes. I knew this one would be too much for her once she knew what it did." Pete grimaces.

“We have to stop her, I mean if— if she does this it will just destroy all the h-h-hard work she’s done to g-get better and….” Myka stumbles over her words, attempting to sound distraught.

Pete cuts her off. “Mykes we gotta go, like, _now_ if we want to catch her before it’s too late."

They hurry to the car and jump in. Pete starts the engine, peeling out of the parking lot. Myka checks the vehicle to ensure they are alone but decides not to speak freely in case Valda is somehow monitoring them.

“That's it there, on the left,” Myka points. Pete pulls in the parking lot. They tumble out of the SUV and walk briskly to the entrance. Before going in, Pete holds Myka back for a moment.

“Wait. We need to pull ourselves together first, Mykes. We don’t know what she’s got going on, what we might be walking into.” He tries to sound serious on multiple levels.

“But this is Helena, Pete. I can’t let her do this. She’ll just be destroyed…." Myka says with urgency.

"Don’tcha think you might be a little personally attached to this? Maybe I should go solo…..”

Pete moves forward. Myka stops him.

“Oh come on, Pete. I talked her down once; I can do it again." Myka aggressively eyes Pete up and down, thinking this is all starting to sound a little too real.

Pete, hands on hips, nods emphatically but narrows his eyes skeptically. “OK. But let’s hope it won't come to that, again."

They move forward together, then enter the lobby, flash their badges at the desk clerk and ask for the room number of Helena Wells.

“That room is certainly popular today," the clerk grumbles. "A British gentleman just went to up there, too. Please do be quiet, we don’t want to disturb the other guests. This is an upscale establishment."

Myka rolls her eyes.

As they cross the lobby and approach the stairs, Myka notices a man reading the paper seated in the lounge. A black leather bag rests next to him on the floor. She elbows Pete and nods her head in the man's direction, and Pete looks to the side. They nod at each other and the climb the stairs, taking out their Teslas.

The sound of raised voices can be heard coming from Helena’s room. Myka gently turns the knob and signals to Pete that the door is not locked. Pete heads down to check on the man in the lobby while Myka listens through the door.

"If you don’t give me the artifact I want, I _will_ go in first. And be certain that I will make sure you _never_ get your daughter back." Helena sneers.

Valda disagrees. “ _I_ go in first and get want I want. _If_ it works, I’ll consider giving you the artifact."

"NO," Helena shouts. "That’s not how it’s going to work this time, Valda. I hold all of the power. And I don’t care if you _do_ have the artifact. I just want my Christina back." She moves towards the mirror.

Valda grabs her by the arm. "Now wait just a minute......."

Valda is interrupted by the sound of a struggle by the door. It opens with two burly men holding Myka tightly at the tops of her arms.

Myka notices Helena is situated between Valda and the mirror.

“Agent Bering, welcome.” Valda tightens his grip on Helena’s arm and turns to address her. "Lets up the stakes here. You give me what I want, and I’ll let Ms. Bering here go. And maybe, _maybe_ , if you play nice, I’ll give you the artifact. No promises there."

"Don’t do it, Helena—” Myka blurts out, “—any of it. You know better than that." Myka squirms weakly to judge how easily she might break free.

"Do I? _Really_ , Myka. _You_ know me. And _you_ of _all_ people know how selfish I am when it comes to getting what I want." She looks straight at Valda, vindictive look in her eye. "I will _not_ let _you_ or _anyone else_ get in my way."

At that very moment, Pete comes running into the room, leather bag in hand, man from the lobby in hot pursuit. Valda's attention is divided, and Helena throws off his grip. She thrusts herself towards the mirror, and Valda follows, desperate to stop her from entering first.

Myka shakes off the to men holding her. She immediately elbows one in the stomach and swings around, punching the other in the gut. They both drop to the floor.

Helena hits the mirror, full force, and it shatters. Shards burst forth and fly toward Valda. Both he and Helena fall to the floor.

In the midst of the chaos, Pete manages to pull out his Tesla, shooting both the man from the lobby and the other two men as they attempt to get up.

Myka runs and locks the door. She eyes Pete and Pete looks at the bag he is clutching in his left hand. They each suddenly spring into action.

Myka kneels down next to a crumpled Helena. "How badly are you hurt?"

Helena lets out a moan then manages to say, “I don’t know.” She’s bent over on the floor clutching her side.

Myka tries not to panic as she sees blood trickling down Helena's arm.

“I'm not going to move you, OK,” she says as calmly as she can to Helena, “I don’t want to make it worse. Try not to move until the paramedics arrive. Just stay still."

Myka calls 911.

Valda is lying on the ground, shaking, groaning, “My eye….My eye…”

Pete squats down to interrogate him. “Listen buddy, we’re gonna get you to a hospital but we need to know where the artifact is you were going to give to H.G. We can’t let it fall into anyone else hands, you got that?"

“It's in the bag, the one my man has downstairs. He’s well gone by no..Owww, it hurts to talk."

Pete narrows his eyes and cocks his head. “OK stop talking,” he points and wags his finger, "No wait, one last thing. Are you lying? If you are lying, then stop that and tell us the truth. I have the bag, and I don’t want anyone else getting hurt today."

Myka speaks up, "You have the bag, Pete? Open it! See what’s in it." She grabs whatever fabric is in arms reach to try to slow Helena's bleeding.

Pete kneels down and carefully opens the bag. Inside he sees a beat up, tarnished, antique brass tube with a piece of glass on one end.

“What is this Valda?" Pete demands.

Valda doesn't respond right away. Pete pokes him and Valda winces.

“Alright, fine. It's a viewing device, a sort of primitive telescope, owned by Christopher Columbus that he had on his journey when he stumbled upon America. While it’s commonly believed the thing he most desired was to discover a shorter trade route to the West Indies, his greatest desire was actually acquiring great wealth and power without government oversight. Hence, the new world was found instead."

Myka adds, “And he did gain wealth and power, but ultimately it was all taken from him by his government.” She frowns. "So it was an artifact that led him to America?" Myka is not impressed.

"Pete can you just bag it? H.G. needs one less thing causing her pain right now."

“Ok, yeah right, Mykes." He pulls out a some gloves and a static bag as distant sirens can be heard. Sparks fly across the room, and Helena falls limp.

"Helena!" Myka cries, throwing her arms around Helena. The sound of multiple footsteps can be heard on the stairs.

\------------------

Helena's wounds were severe, but none life threatening. She recovers at the B&B.

Myka spends ninety percent of her free time doting over Helena. Helena does not resist Myka’s attentions in the slightest.

Claudia is morbidly fascinated by the ample quantity of stitches Helena received. She asks to see them often but then squeals squeamishly once revealed.

When asked why she altered the plan, Helena gives a rundown of events.

“Valda rang late one evening after discovering the surveillance camera footage that you had fabricated. He described the events and asked what information I could add from my vision. I acted shocked, in that I knew vaguely what the mirror was said to do, but didn’t know how it worked. He assumed that I had shown my drawing to the Warehouse, but the Warehouse had not yet informed me they had found the artifact, nor indicated that it worked. I could tell from his demeanor that if _I_ showed a personal interest in this artifact _he_ would follow. I was his barometer. If it wasn’t good enough to tempt me into trying to bring my Christina back, then it wasn’t worth his effort, especially now that the Warehouse was involved."

“Therefore, I said he should do as he wished, but if it worked, I’d greatly appreciate it if he would kindly neutralize the artifact causing my visions. I, of course, left immediately for upstate New York. He instantly knew I wanted to use to the artifact before him, as he was having me watched. You all know the rest."

\-----------------------

Weeks later, things have gone back to what Claudia likes to call a "new normal."

Dr. Calder arrives and announces that Helena’s neural degradation seems to have stopped. Helena also notes that she no longer has visions.

Helena moves back into her apartment in Univille as soon as she is mobile. The movie is in post-production allowing her to be in control from afar. "A little too in control for the editing team’s taste,” says Rachel, so she enlists Claudia's to help calm Helena down and explain some of the technical details related to the CGI scenes.

The movie is released a few months later to rave reviews, and Helena’s second book is a sensation. A third is in the works.

So for now, the day has been saved, and Helena and Myka finally move forward.

\-------------------------

_Two years later…….._

Myka gives a twirl then strikes a pose, neck craning up, hand on hip, eyes to the side.

“Myka, you- are- absolutely _stunning_ ,” Helena raves, mouth agape, eyes sparking.

Myka relaxes, shoulders slumping, hips tilting, posture back to normal. “Why thank you, Miss Wells. Giselle picked it out for me, she has such a good eye…..oh and she’s coming, by the way, with a date,” she says with an animated smile.

Helena gives a smirk and and eye raise, jovially admitting, “You two certainly have become fast friends….."

Myka responds quickly, “….well since you finally apologized to her after being such a jerk and ignoring her calls for so long….."

Helena crosses her arms, her face pinches, “….Myka…..”

Myka emphatically raises her brows and cocks her head. “What? You were a jerk, Helena."

Helena grimaces dismissively. “For the life of me I can’t imagine what you two could possibly have in common.”

“Well, _you_ for starters,” Myka mouths as she inspects herself in the full-length mirror, smoothing down her dress. “ _You_.” She turns to face Helena with a cocky smirk.

Helena gives a fake pout.

Myka fiddles with an errant curl that's fallen out of her pinned up hair. “And books. She reads a lot when she travels. Oh and travel, she travels a lot, and so do I…."

She turns to check the back of her dress in the mirror, and then swings to face Helena.

“And also, it's nice to have a friend that's not connected with the Warehouse, but already knows you. Especially since we’ll be moving to New York soon when I take over Jane’s place once she retires as a Regent."

Helena’s arms drop, she sighs, then asks pointedly, “You know you have my unwavering support no matter what you decide, love, but are you still sure this is still what you want? Will you not miss being in the field?"

“Yeah, well, we’ll see. I’ll miss kicking butt and being partners with Pete and, well, lots of things, but, to be honest, the wonder ceased to be endless after going through what I did with cancer. And I’ll still be heavily involved as a Regent, plus I’ll be able to work on updating some of their more antiquated policies from within,” she says with confidence.

Sidling up to Helena, she runs her fingers up and down the underside of Helena’s jacket lapels. “Most importantly I want to be able to spend more time with you…,” she moves in closely to speak into Helena’s ear. “….and I’m I’m looking forward to the adventures we’ll be having together….."

Helena’s eyes light up. She turns her head and leans in for a kiss. Myka scowls playfully and swats her away. “Lipstick, honey, lipstick."

Helena kisses her anyway. “You’ll just have to reapply darling, I can’t help myself with you looking like that.” She steps back, eyes searing a path up and down Myka’s sensuous figure.

Myka glances the clock on the wall in the hotel room. “We have to go soon….I need to finish getting ready."

As Myka readies herself, Helena picks up a brochure from the desk for the event they are attending. She studies the picture on the cover of a woman wearing a brightly colored sequined dress with long buoyant blonde hair and an impossibly shiny tall and wide grin. She says loudly, “Myka, do you now who this other woman receiving an award is, this Kylie Minogue?"

Myka replies from the bathroom, “She’s a pop singer, Giselle says she's really well known outside of America and that she survived breast cancer, like, ten years ago. She's been really active in raising awareness ever since, so that’s why the Women’s Research Cancer Fund is giving her an award."

Helena lifts a brow. “I see. Then it shall be nice to make her acquaintance."

“Giselle also says she’s, like, tiny, maybe five feet tall? So you will tower over her, like this….” Having left the bathroom and donned heels, Myka stands imposingly next to Helena.

Helena angles her eyes up, "How am I ever to reach you if you are all the way up there?”

Myka places an arm on Helena’s shoulder to steady herself. “They’re nowhere near as high as Giselle's. And it’s just for tonight. They look good right?” She kicks a leg out and waggles her foot to view a shoe better. "You’ll manage,” she plants her foot back on the floor then runs a hand teasingly through Helena's hair, kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Helena frowns in jest then turns back to the brochure, pointing to a picture on the inside. “Why is my picture so ghastly? Is it because I'm merely the philanthropy awardee and not a pop star?"

“I'd imagine it's because you wouldn’t let the stylist spend the time to make you look like that,” Myka says, grabbing the pamphlet out of Helena’s hand and flipping it to point at the image of Kylie. “I remember you telling them to ‘not make a fuss’, that you were 'fine as you were'."

Helena sighs. "But, I look old."

Myka eyes Helena with mocking disbelief. “I think you look pretty good for a hundred and fifty."

“Point taken.” Helena snakes an arm around Myka's waist and pulls her closer, tracing a line up her arm, and places a kiss on the crook of Myka’s seductively exposed neck.

Helena’s phone rings. She growls, but picks up, then turns to Myka, “Rachel says the car is ready…."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -SO telescopes weren't invented until the 1600's, hence artifact snafu. I think its ok though.
> 
> I am thinking I might add some of H.G.'s stories later as a sort of part 2....like:  
> *Helena in NY after Boone (how she meets Giselle)  
> *Pete's "talk" with Helena about Myka  
> *Helena's explanation of the Warehouse to Rachel (how exactly is she 150?)  
> *Helena's book tour and her conversations with Abigail
> 
> Oh and Kylie really did win an award at the [EFI Women's Cancer Research Fund's](http://abc7.com/archive/9089790/) 2013 event.  
> And thanks again for reading!


End file.
